Alimentação fora de casa e excesso de peso: uma análise dos mecanismos explicativos

Objective: To discuss the possible mechanisms of the relationship between eating away from home and excessive weight gain. Methods: A literature search was conducted to find scientific articles that described the characteristics of the foods consumed outside the home and articles that investigated the relationship between these characteristics and excessive weight gain published in the following databases: MEDLINE, Latin America and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information (LILACS) and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO). Results: It was found that several characteristics of away-from-home foods such as high energy density, high fat and sugar content, poor fiber and calcium content, large portions of highly palatable foods available in great variety and high consumption of soft drinks and sweets contribute to excessive weight gain. Conclusion: After determining the importance of the influence of eating away from home on weight gain, several proposals are suggested to improve the availability of healthy foods in away-from-home meals; however, further studies are needed to understand which changes in the away-from-home food services are effective to reduce the negative impacts on the population’s health.