7 Ways Restaurants Can Nudge People to Eat More Healthily

Helping people get better food on their plates does more than information and encouragement, researchers say

When the cashier asks us if we want a salad with that burger, it encourages us to make a healthier food choice.El Nariz/Shutterstock

There are seven effective “nudges” that restaurants and grocery stores can use to help tackle the obesity crisis while remaining in business and preserving our right as consumers to splurge if we want to.

A nudge gently pushes us toward making better choices without resorting to economic incentives or restricting our freedom of choice. Reorganizing a menu or a grocery shelf is a nudge. Taxing sodas or banning energy drinks is not.