{"id":16824,"date":"2020-06-17T16:39:16","date_gmt":"2020-06-17T20:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/caloriecontrol.org\/finding-more-fiber-rich-foods-when-eating-out\/"},"modified":"2020-12-08T16:34:55","modified_gmt":"2020-12-08T21:34:55","slug":"finding-more-fiber-rich-foods-when-eating-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/caloriecontrol.org\/finding-more-fiber-rich-foods-when-eating-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding More Fiber-Rich Foods When Eating Out"},"content":{"rendered":"
Robyn Flipse, MS, MA, RDN<\/strong><\/p>\n Research on the eating habits of Americans shows that our consumption of \u201cfoods away from home\u201d* has been steadily rising since 1987. The amount of household food budgets spent on foods away from home surpassed the amount spent for \u201cfood at home\u201d in 2010 when it reached 50.2 percent. (1) It has held that lead ever since.<\/p>\n Sources for the meals, snacks and beverages Americans eat away from home include quick-service, fast-casual and full-service restaurants; cafeterias, canteens and concessions; convenience stores, mobile food vendors and vending machines; and delis, bakeries, and drinking places. While a wide range of menu options are available in these outlets, the nutrient quality of the foods selected when eating in them traditionally has been higher in calories, fat, sodium and sugar than food from home. (1)<\/p>\n More recently, the quality of foods eaten away from home has become more similar to that of foods eaten at home due, in part, to the greater availability of healthy options on menus and the declining quality of the choices being served at home. (1) \u00a0Unfortunately, our intake of dietary fiber, an \u201cunderconsumed\u201d nutrient according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020, is still not at recommended levels in either setting. (2)<\/p>\n Wellness professionals can help their clients close this gap by guiding them to fiber rich options when eating away from home in addition to those they can readily find in the grocery store for meals prepared at home.<\/p>\n One way to add more fiber-rich foods away from home is by making Smart Swaps and Substitutions<\/em>. For example, rather than ordering the most popular \u201ccombos\u201d on the menu, consumers can swap out something in those combos for one more serving<\/em> of \u00a0fruit, vegetable, whole grains, beans, nuts or seeds as illustrated in the chart. If they don\u2019t see the swap they want on the menu, they should be encouraged to ask for it since the more requests a restaurant receives for an item the more likely it will be to provide it in the future. The establishment may also suggest an alternative. Additionally, consumers may find higher fiber options by looking for the \u201chealthier choice\u201d icon featured on many menus today.<\/p>\n SMART SWAPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS TO INCREASE FIBER WHEN EATING AWAY FROM HOME<\/strong><\/p>\n BREAKFAST:<\/p>\n