This is why Americans are overweight and broke
Dining out is the No. 1 thing that Americans blow their budgets on, according to the Principal Financial Group’s annual Financial Well Being Index, which was released in December 2016. The company surveyed more than 1,100 employed American adults.
Those restaurant meals are also adding to our growing waistlines: On days when people dine out, they tend to consume 200 more calories than when they eat at home, according to a study of more than 12,500 people published by Public Health Nutrition last year, and government research shows that “when eating out, people either eat more or eat higher calorie foods — or both — and that this tendency appears to be increasing.” Other studies show that eating out more frequently is associated with obesity and higher body fat.
And the problem is getting worse. While 22% of Americans blew their budgets on dining out in 2014, this year, 25% did so.
The reason lies, in part, in our hectic lifestyles: “It’s easy for our spending habits to get out of whack when we’re pressed for time,” says Luke Vandermillen, vice president, Principal Financial Group. Because of that, we sometimes opt to dine out instead of cook at home because it’s more convenient and a small pleasure/treat that we can give ourselves, explains Kevin Morris, vice president at Principal Financial Group.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/spendingandborrowing/this-is-why-americans-are-overweight-and-broke/ar-AAkXsDg?li=BBnb7Kz
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