People are placing fewer orders for french fries and sugary drinks at restaurants, giving a boost to establishments that sell more low-calorie items, according to a study scheduled for release Thursday. 
 
 An analysis of 21 fast-food and sit-down restaurant chains between 2006 and 2011 found that lower-calorie food and beverages fueled the chains' growth. The study was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and conducted by the Hudson Institute, a policy-research organization. 
 
 Enlarge Image Close Christian Science Monitor/Associated Press Panera posts calorie information on menus nationwide and says a fifth of its customers order lower-calorie items. Above, a New York Panera. 
 
 The study found that restaurants that increased lower-calorie servings experienced an average 5.5% increase in same-store sales. That compared with a 5.5% decrease among chains selling fewer lower-calorie servings. 
 
 "The bottom line is, if restaurants don't get more aggressive behind these low-calorie products, they're leaving sales on the table," said Henry Cardello, director of the Hudson Institute's Obesity Solutions Initiative and lead author of the report. "It's a business imperative." 
 
 The findings might make restaurant chains feel better about efforts around the U.S. to get them to post calorie information. 
 
 The Hudson study found that the number of lower-calorie food and beverage servings sold increased 2.5% to 18.7 billion, while the number of higher-calorie servings sold fell 4.2% to 31.2 billion. The analysis examined restaurant servings and traffic from market-research firm NPD Group Inc. and publicly available sales data from the restaurant chains. 
 
 Lower-calorie servings were defined as sandwiches and entrees containing 500 or fewer calories, beverages with 50 or fewer calories per eight ounces and side dishes, appetizers and desserts with 150 or fewer calories. 
 
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 Federal regulations requiring operators of restaurants with 20 or more outlets to post calorie counts are expected to take effect early next year. Some chains, including McDonald's Corp. and Panera Bread Co., already post calorie information on menu boards nationwide. 
 
 Several chains have created sections on their menus featuring smaller portions and low-calorie offerings, such as Fit Fare at Denny's Corp. restaurants and Au Bon Portions at ABP Corp.'s Au Bon Pain chain. 
 
 Early studies on how posting calorie information affects consumer behavior have proved mixed. Some have found that providing calorie information has steered consumers toward healthier options, while others have found no noticeable shift. 
 
 After Panera posted calorie counts on its menu boards in 2010, the company noticed that 20% of customers began ordering lower-calorie items. 
 
 Chili's Grill & Bar, a unit of Brinker International Inc., said sales of items containing less than 675 calories increased after it featured two new items on that Lighter Choices lineup on menu inserts in December. 
 
 McDonald's declined to comment on the Hudson study, but when the company in September said it would begin posting calorie information nationwide, Jan Fields, then-president of McDonald's USA, said the company hadn't noticed a change in behavior in the cities that already required posted calorie counts. 
 
 Mr. Cardello, a former food-and-beverage industry executive, said he was surprised to find that fast-food chains sold a slightly higher percentage of lower-calorie food servings than sit-down restaurants did. 
 
 Margo Wootan, the director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the report was consistent with what she has seen in restaurants. "Americans are more interested than ever in healthy eating," she said. 
 
 But she warned that consumers still aren't as good about watching their calories when they dine out as when they eat at home, in part because large serving sizes at restaurants lead to overconsumption. Her nonprofit advocacy group wasn't involved in the Hudson study. 
 
 Ms. Wootan said several studies have linked frequent restaurant visits with higher obesity rates. One showed that women who eat out more than five times a week consume about 290 more calories on average each day than women who eat out less often. 
 
 "My biggest concern is that oftentimes, there are only a few healthy options at restaurants amid a much larger array of unhealthy choices," she said. 

 Driven by pressures like consumer demand and looming federal regulations that will require them to post calorie counts on menus, restaurant chains around the country are adding more nutritious choices and shrinking portion sizes. 
 
 The smaller portions, which are not necessarily cheaper, are the first step toward reversing the practice of piling more food on a plate than anyone needs in a single meal, a trend that began nearly three decades ago. Besides making a contribution to customers’ health, restaurant owners are finding that the move is paying off financially. 
 
 Sbarro for example, is offering a “skinny slice,” with a different mix of cheese and more vegetables at 270 calories. Longhorn Steakhouse has smaller portions of beef that qualify for its lower calorie Flavorful Under 500 menu. 
 
 “Menu labeling is part of it, but there’s also been a lot of finger-pointing at the industry by the media and others, including customers, that is spurring the movement,” said Anita Jones-Mueller, a registered dietitian who is president and founder of Healthy Dining Finder, a Web site that helps users find restaurants with healthy options using ZIP codes. 
 
 One gauge — the number of restaurants with vetted healthy options listed on the site — has increased more than 2,000 percent, and many have been added just in the last couple of years, Ms. Jones-Mueller said. “Customers really want these items, so restaurants are working to make them more appealing,” she said. 
 
 Hank Cardello, director of the obesity solutions initiative at the Hudson Institute, a public policy research organization, has been studying the impact that lower-calorie menu options have on restaurants’ business. “Lower-calorie menu items were driving restaurant growth over the last several years, no doubt about it,” Mr. Cardello said. 
 
 The results of his research were published Thursday in a report financed in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 
 
 The Obama administration’s health care act, which was passed in 2010, included a provision requiring restaurants and food establishments with 20 or more locations to post the calorie counts of standard items on their menus. The final regulations are expected soon, with compliance likely to be required by 2014. 
 
 Some restaurant chains have already begun posting calorie counts. 
 
 After perusing Longhorn Steakhouse’s lower-calorie menu, Denise Garbinski, a registered dietitian in San Francisco, said the portion sizes were bigger than the four ounces she typically recommended, but that it was “a step in the right direction.” 
 
 “What they’re trying to do here is cut back on portion size, which is brilliant,” Ms. Garbinski said. “I always tell people to ask for a to-go container when they first order and then put half of the meal in it before they eat, but this takes that step out of the process.” 
 
 While the move by restaurants to more nutritional menu offerings is driven by external factors, many operators are finding that cutting calories, sodium, sugar and fat pays off. 
 
 “It’s doing great,” Brian Bailey, co-founder and chief executive of the Ichor Restaurant Group, said of the company’s new restaurant concept, Baja Pizzafish. “To serve fish tacos in Ohio is testament not only that the food tastes good, but that people really want it.” 
 
 The chain, which opened in July, offers the option of brown rice in its rice bowls, and three ounces of grilled salmon, steak or shrimp can be added. Mr. Bailey describes the dishes as, “smaller amounts of protein and more fresh vegetables.” Other menu items include thin-crust pizzas with potatoes and other lean toppings, salads and tortilla wraps. 
 
 The company also operates the Old Carolina Barbecue Company, a chain of six restaurants. It has added a new menu for its catering operation, the Lighter Side of Old Carolina, that features grilled chicken wraps, carved turkey sandwiches and chicken salad made with light mayonnaise. 
 
 “I don’t want to describe this as the anti-barbecue,” he said. “It’s more like I’m hedging my bets on comfort food.” 
 
 Matt Friedman, founder and chief executive of Wing Zone, said the company’s decision to add Skinny Dippers, fried chicken breast nuggets with no breading, to its menu in January was as much about business as about offering customers a healthier choice.
– Turns out that offering patrons lower-calorie options isn't just a good move for waistlines, it's a "business imperative" for restaurants, says the lead author of a new study. The report from the Hudson Institute finds that sales were up 5.5% between 2006 and 2011 at restaurants that increased their healthy menu choices and down by 5.5% at those that didn't, reports the Wall Street Journal. It holds true for both fast-food and sit-down restaurants. "The bottom line is, if restaurants don't get more aggressive behind these low-calorie products, they're leaving sales on the table," says the study's author. The results dovetail with new federal rules that will soon require chains with more than 20 stories to post calorie counts. McDonald's and others already have begun doing so. The healthier alternatives include smaller portions slices, like the "skinny slice" at Sbarro, notes the New York Times.