Study Explains Why So Many Americans Are <br />Broke and Overweight According to research by the financial company Principal, more than 1 in 4 Americans <br />said that dining out is what <br />drains their budget most. According to a separate study conducted by Penn State, people who eat out a lot tend to underestimate what it will cost. Participants were asked what they <br />thought they would spend dining out <br />at the beginning of a two-week period <br />and then in the middle of that period. Their average budget was increased from about <br />$18 in week one to about <br />$55 in week two. Amit Sharma, Penn State, via MarketWatch According to a study published by 'Public Health Nutrition' <br />in 2015, Americans eat an average of <br />200 more calories when eating out as opposed to eating at home. via 'Public Health Nutrition' Additional studies <br />have linked dining out <br />with obesity and <br />increased body fat.
