Healthy eating: Lower-calorie options boost business at fast food and chain restaurtants

Restaurant chains around the country are adding more nutritious choices and cutting back on portion sizes.

A new report indicates those changes are paying off for both consumers and businesses.

The Hudson Institute found that the smaller portions, are not only good for customers' health, but restaurant owners are finding it is paying off financially.

Span ning the five -year period of the study, chains that increased sales of lower-calorie items increased customer traffic by nearly 11 percent and increased sales by more t han 8 percent.

The study was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and conducted by the Hudson Institute, a policy-research organization. The study's full results are scheduled for release on Thursday.

Researchers analyzed 21 of the nation’s largest chains, including fast-food restaurants, for the report.