LA County Health Officials Team Up With Restaurants To Fight Obesity

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Los Angeles County health officials have teamed up with local restaurants to combat obesity.

KNX 1070's Vytas Safronikas reported that through a program dubbed Choose Health LA, restaurants will offer expanded menus with healthier choices for children and smaller portion sizes to cut down on calories consumed.

Dr. Jonathan Fielding, the county's public health director, said the initiative can have a huge impact, as nearly two-thirds of residents are overweight or obese and the average person eats at a restaurant four times a week.

"When people go out to eat, they generally consume more calories than they do when they eat at home. And people are eating out more and more. So if people have better options when they go out, it's going to make a huge difference in terms of their caloric intake," he said.

So far, Subway, Poquito Mas, Roman's Pizza, and others have qualified for the program.

To find all the participating eateries, residents can look online at www.ChooseHealthLA.com or through window decals.