Calories on Restaurant Menus

[Lifeisamazing]

Source: Will People Eat Less When Calories Are Posted on Menus? | Counting Calories, Obesity & Weight Gain, Health Care | LiveScience

I personally don't think it will make a difference in the short term and as far as calorie consumption is concerned but I definitely embrace this legislation because it's beneficial for those who care about what they ingest. Those, who don't, will just make fun of those calories.

Something else aroused my interest in the article: why are the owners of restaurants so reluctant to this law? They can't be bothered by the work they need to do for it... Is it really because they are scared that this will eventually lead to a healthier lifestyle and that they need to make their menus healthier?

[ginkgo]

They do not like it since they only focus on taste no matter how much fat and salt they have to add to make it taste good. Now they will need to make sure that these numbers are not terribly high.

Of course ingredients are important too. Olive oil is pure fat but all the studies show that it helps people to lose weight.

[Lifeisamazing]

Originally Posted by ginkgo

They do not like it since they only focus on taste no matter how much fat and salt they have to add to make it taste good. Now they will need to make sure that these numbers are not terribly high.

Of course ingredients are important too. Olive oil is pure fat but all the studies show that it helps people to lose weight.

So you think that this is only because they don't want the extra work? I remember the last time I went to a restaurant and asked the waitress to ask the chefs how many calories my meals roughly contained. Apparently the chefs had no idea.

Yes, I also wish they would put the ingredients and nutrients on it as well but that's a little bigger step for now.

[Cochonette]

They don't want to do anything that sounds like it might take away their customers. It's not more complicated than that. I like this idea. I work in a restaurant and eat there all the time, but I don't pay attention to how many calories... I could check if I wanted.... that never occurred to me before. I should do that. :P

[votoshka]

Well McDonald's posts nutrition information about their products... do you think that affects the eating habits of the diners? Some, maybe. But those some would probably already be careful about what they were eating.

[Lifeisamazing]

Originally Posted by votoshka

Well McDonald's posts nutrition information about their products... do you think that affects the eating habits of the diners? Some, maybe. But those some would probably already be careful about what they were eating.

It definitely doesn't have a short term influence but perhaps long-term? I mean, if someone keeps telling you that something is bad, you might eventually listen...

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by votoshka

Well McDonald's posts nutrition information about their products...

McDonalds I think has been embroiled in controversies about the horrible nutritional problems with their food ..... and then they tried to move towards (somewhat) healthier food .... and that is why they are now posting nutrition information about their food.

It's called damage control, for their PR problems. The information is meant to assure you that it could be possible to eat their food without dying from a heart attack.

[lap202]

Atleast mcDonalds is pushing for healthier food. They now are adding things that are somewhat healthy. I have decided to stay away from their burgers if I am forced to eat there. Eat their wraps.

[Curtis2011]

Originally Posted by lap202

Atleast mcDonalds is pushing for healthier food. They now are adding things that are somewhat healthy. I have decided to stay away from their burgers if I am forced to eat there. Eat their wraps.

If McDonald's has healthy food, Hell has Mother Theresa.

[roxyruby]

I think it's a great idea. I am a calorie counter at the moment and if they put calories on their menu's I may just eat out more since I am able to know and be in control.

[NDN Scholar]

Originally Posted by Curtis2011

If McDonald's has healthy food, Hell has Mother Theresa.

Wasn't that woman a Catholic? Anyways, yeah, MacD's has salads and wraps, which are absolutely nothing near their burgers and fries.

[legendarymidget]

I think that most of the general public will ignore these if this legislation brought this in. Well except for the people that are already calory counting, they would benefit from this.

I mean, lots of people still smoke and do drugs even though everyone knows it damages your health. So people with that personality will ignore it.

[votoshka]

Originally Posted by Lifeisamazing

It definitely doesn't have a short term influence but perhaps long-term? I mean, if someone keeps telling you that something is bad, you might eventually listen...

Sorry to say, but I don't think this works. People have been having it drummed into them for YEARS that smoking cigarettes is bad, that drinking is bad, that eating fatty fried food is bad...and yet... so many still do it! I STILL see people taking up smoking, for goodness sake!! It doesn't seem to matter how many times something is drummed into many people... it doesn't matter...

Maybe I'm being cynical here yes, there are those who will care, BUT I think most of those who care are those who are already careful about what they eat! Sure it'll make it easier to spot hidden calories, that's true... but again, the ones who care are well... the ones who already care.

[AndrewJen]

Originally Posted by votoshka

Sorry to say, but I don't think this works. People have been having it drummed into them for YEARS that smoking cigarettes is bad, that drinking is bad, that eating fatty fried food is bad...and yet... so many still do it! I STILL see people taking up smoking, for goodness sake!! It doesn't seem to matter how many times something is drummed into many people... it doesn't matter...

Maybe I'm being cynical here yes, there are those who will care, BUT I think most of those who care are those who are already careful about what they eat! Sure it'll make it easier to spot hidden calories, that's true... but again, the ones who care are well... the ones who already care.

I agree to a certain extent. Choices are choices and people will continue to eat poorly; seems like people who live in those type of patterns try to alleviate it with TRYING to justify it but they are only lying to themselves. An occasional salad or diet coke or wrap won't help relative to the other crap you eat.

I also feel though, that it is another reminder to the consumer that maybe they should reconsider their food options. They might better start to understand how many calories they are truly eating. I lost weight, but as my dad got older I saw him go the reverse and gain a lot of weight. If I journaled his calorie intake I think it might help sink in the fact that he's simply eating too much.

[Andrew Gubb]

why are the owners of restaurants so reluctant to this law? They can't be bothered by the work they need to do for it...

Having been part of a restaurant I think I'd have been reluctant. Yes, work is work and no one wants more of it. It's also damn annoying to be forced to do something - anything - and the more laws you have getting in the way of you doing your job the more stressful things become.

[Lifeisamazing]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gubb

Having been part of a restaurant I think I'd have been reluctant. Yes, work is work and no one wants more of it. It's also damn annoying to be forced to do something - anything - and the more laws you have getting in the way of you doing your job the more stressful things become.

What makes you say work is work? If you like the work you do, you won't be reluctant to more work unless it's really excessive. By the way, what extra work would the chefs have to do or the restaurant owners? What I can think of are setting up new menus with the calories (one time job), figuring out how many calories certain recipes contain (one time job). What else? A good chef weighs and measures everything anyway (just not the calories always).

[joelr]

Originally Posted by Curtis2011

If McDonald's has healthy food, Hell has Mother Theresa.

Grilled chicken breast, hold the mayoish substance,
$4, seems ok.

[dirtyhive]

I'm not convinced that McDonalds' use of the food info on the website is entirely down to them wanting to illustrate how healthy it is. There has been a lot of negative media attention directed at the nutritional value of their food; I wonder if this is also partly so that when the next Super Size Me comes out McD's can point at the website and say, "well, the nutrition info is up there, it's not our fault if you can't read and you ate too much of it."

[chrisrushton]

as a consumer i don't want to know that sort of thing.

i don't eat out very often and so it's a special thing. i want to suspend disbelief for an hour or so and not have to worry about what i'm eating. i accept that i could have a much healthier salad if i stayed at home but i've decided to eat out and happy to live with the consequences.

i think restaurants should be about the chef creating great food with excellent taste and that's it.

[Lifeisamazing]

Originally Posted by chrisrushton

as a consumer i don't want to know that sort of thing.

i don't eat out very often and so it's a special thing. i want to suspend disbelief for an hour or so and not have to worry about what i'm eating. i accept that i could have a much healthier salad if i stayed at home but i've decided to eat out and happy to live with the consequences.

i think restaurants should be about the chef creating great food with excellent taste and that's it.

First and foremost, how is knowing what you eat tantamount to worrying? It reminds me of a statement ignorance is bliss.

Second, why do you think it's not possible to create healthy food with excellent taste?

I choose to go to a restaurant because I want someone else to cook for me sometimes (lazyness), I want to eat something I normally would not (a little unhealthy) and I want to be around with some great people. Keep in mind that this mean replacing one meal I would eat at home with one I eat at a restaurant. Even if it is less healthy, it has to be about the same in calories.

[joelr]

I eventually just started avoiding restaurants while cutting weight. I would always leave unsatisfied and hungry trying to eat clean and temptation is high.
Plus the no-beer thing while everyone else is enjoying pitchers.

The other 8 months of the year I make Sat night a cheat meal night so I can enjoy one of my favorite pastimes - good food. Home cooked or eating out, no worries about calories. Especially with living so close to Bostons North End (Italian district) and it's endless rows of eateries.
And all the other incredible places to eat.
I've had some good food! But in moderation it has no impact on health or physique.

In my mid-20's I did a thing where I cut weight until I was shredded, at that time it was 188lbs. Then I would eat whatever I wanted starting Fri evening until Sun evening and then go back to the diet/cardio routine all week.
I would really pig out on the weekend but always weighed in back at 188 on Fri morning and was able to stay shredded for years.
Eventually I stopped because I became interested in putting on lot's more muscle and had to revamp my eating.