More restaurants are hurting patrons' waistlines by offering dishes that contain enough calories and grams of fat for a whole day, according to a recent study.

According to research done by The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), chain restaurants are quickly following the "growing" trend of fast food restaurants.

They are now offering larger portions, loads of cheese and food combinations that leave customers a little too full, the study said. Appetizers, entrees and deserts are containing around 1,000 calories each, making a three-course meal a diet disaster.

Margaret Spear, Penn State University Health Services (UHS) administrator, said she sees the temptation in restaurant food. "When you're eating food like that, it's hard to stop," Spear said. "People think it's a good deal, a huge pile of food."

Little nutritional information is available at the point of purchase in chain restaurants, and consumers may not realize how unhealthy their food really is, according to the CSPI.

"People think because they are paying more money they are getting a better quality meal," Spear said.

According to the CSPI, most people should eat no more than 2,000 calories and a total of 20 grams of fat in an entire day. "People don't realize a nutritionist's view of a serving size is a fist," Spear said. "There is this general trend toward food being bigger and better."

Emilee Scarpino (freshman-kinesiology) said she was surprised to hear restaurants are offering such unhealthy portions.

"You think of fast food as bad and restaurants like a home-cooked meal," Scarpino said.

Some restaurants present healthier choices, however -- many chain restaurants are offering low-calorie dishes and even posting nutritional information on the menu.

Coldstone Creamery, a student favorite, was the only downtown establishment mentioned in the CSPI's research. Brenda Kelly, manager of Coldstone Creamery, 321 E. Beaver Ave., said she realizes many items on the menu are high in fat and calories. "We do offer light options. We have light vanilla and light cake batter flavors," she said. "Each has 30 percent less calories and 70 percent less fat."

David Cranage, associate professor of hospitality management, said his research shows that by giving people nutritional information, they at least try to eat healthier.

"You need to have this information at the point of buying -- people appreciate it if you supply nutritional information," Cranage said.

Still, some college students would not like to see nutritional information, saying it may spoil the trip. "Usually I'm going out to splurge, so I wouldn't really want to see it," Kay said.