Before you go out to eat or zip through a drive-thru, look up the restaurant’s nutritional information online, or ask for nutrition info when you’re there.

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RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—An abysmal 0.1 percent of people look at nutritional information at chain restaurants before deciding on what to order, according to an observational study that will appear in the May edition of the American Journal of Public Health. And that is not good news for Americans’ waistlines, since fast food is often much higher in calories than homemade meals.

THE DETAILS: Researchers watched 4,311 patrons in 8 suburban and urban franchises of McDonald’s, Burger King, Starbucks, and Au Bon Pain. Just 6 of the 4,311 customers observed looked at nutritional information, which includes calorie content, fat, carbohydrates, and sodium levels. One couple out of 1,501 McDonald’s customers looked at the posted nutritional info, while 3 people eyeballed a nutritional poster at Burger King. One woman looked at this information at Au Bon Pain before ordering, and none of the 657 who entered Starbucks seemed to care much about seeking calorie content stats.

WHAT IT MEANS: American is in the midst of an obesity crisis, and chain restaurants aren’t helping matters much. New York City requires chain restaurants to post calorie content on menu boards. But there’s strong resistance from companies to do this. After all, would you still order a Triple Whopper with Cheese and Mayo at Burger King if you knew it contained 1,230 calories?

Here’s how to survive eating out by getting your hands on nutritional information and making better choices: