Mandatory Calorie Counts

Government regulations are overhead which certainly do hurt businesses and in our weak economy that is a very big deal.

I find it hard to believe that anyone who cares about these things can't tell if a food is fattening. Who doesn't know that saucy, breaded, fried, creamy, gooey, greasy, sweet, covered in ranch dressing, buttery, cheesy foods are not fattening?

I think everybody already knows to choose grilled/baked chicken/fish with the sauce/dressing on the side and things like that. It is hard to go wrong choosing grilled chicken and salad with dressing on the side.

However, the main reason that I object is that this proposal is a form of misdirection from 2 important facts:
1) we all know we should not be eating out so often that it impacts our weight.
2) anything that shifts responsibility away from the individual and puts it on society is bad for everyone and won't work anyway.

Someone who is trying to lose weight should eat out as little as possible. Restaurant food is a nightmare of unhealthy processed food and huge portions. We already know all about this. Why is our generation so much fatter than those in the past? Is it because they had more information than we do? Of course not! lol One big reason is that they hardly ever ate out. Eating out should be a rare treat, as it was in the past. Anything that distracts us from that fact is not helping us at all.

Plan ahead. Pack a healthy lunch. Keep a couple protein bars in the glove box. Invite friends over to eat at home. I think these are good ways to save money too.

We already have an information overload. There are a bazillion articles in magazines, weight loss books and the internet about how to make good choices when eating out. There are dozens of great free phone apps that count calories. McDonalds, Burger King, etc has made nutrition data available for years. If we must eat out then we should use the resources that are already available.

The problem is not about information. It is about habits and lifestyle.

I am enjoying changing my lifestyle to lose weight and get fit because it puts me in control of my life. I think developing a healthy attitude of taking responsibility for my choices is one of the coolest parts of this whole project.

Here is a tiny sample of the information that is already available:
http://fitbie.msn.com/slideshow/400-calorie-restaurant-meals
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/01/20/25-healthiest-restaurant-meals-from-chilis-to-applebees.html
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1193
http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slideshow/20-best-restaurant-foods-america
http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=10_diet_friendly_restaurants_stay_on_track_when_youre_onthego

i support calorie counts on menus. i wish they'd do it voluntarily. calorie counts are already on every commercially available food product.

Exactly. And how has that helped Americans eat healthier?? You still see people chowing down on Cheetos/ potato chips and fatty dips.

Posting nutritional info, thinking it will make people change their lives is as useful as putting gyms in obese cities. Only those who choose to do something about it, do something about it.

IT's got to be done in a way that makes sense, as others have said. Lots of nutritional info is dishonestly presented/makes no sense in the portions given. E.g., x # of calories for 13 potato chips or whatever. No one eats 13 chips. It is reasonable to believe that both manufacturer and consumer agree that one single serving bag means the whole bloody bag. How much is that worth? You have to do math to work it out. Not accessible.

Portion/calorie relationships for common foods (e.g., pasta, etc) should be standardized and user-tested.

There is research done into portion sizes on labels. Technically you really should only eat the 13 chips at a serving, go back for "seconds" maybe but not thirds on a serving. That's what I've learned over time anyway. There is a reason it's only 13 chips.

I would like to see at least something posted on website and a brochure at locations of restuarants that are not really a chain. Some places have a list or an icon near an item that indicates it is less than X calories. I use calorie guides at places when they are available.

I think it would be great if places had to post the calories for their food. Think about how much of a difference it could make if people could actually see what the count is in their food!

Personally, I think it's an unnecessary increased burden on businesses, and I would like to see this law repealed. However, I will be glad to get more accurate nutritional info.

I think it is the businesses responsibility to provide anyone paying them for their goods to let us be fully informed on the nutrition of the foods they are selling. Everyone has the right to be able to make healthy choices while dining out , and they as a business should provide that information.

I think in a society where people are SERIOUSLY lacking personal responsibility, they should research what they put in their mouth voluntarily.

Personally, I think it's an unnecessary increased burden on businesses, and I would like to see this law repealed. However, I will be glad to get more accurate nutritional info.

I think it is the businesses responsibility to provide anyone paying them for their goods to let us be fully informed on the nutrition of the foods they are selling. Everyone has the right to be able to make healthy choices while dining out , and they as a business should provide that information.

I think in a society where people are SERIOUSLY lacking personal responsibility, they should research what they put in their mouth voluntarily.

Um. Except, the RESTAURANT is the only entity that holds that information.

If you see my post before, most chain restaurants cannot accurately know that, due to the locations of the restaurants and where the food comes from.. Hell, even when I worked at a huge, chain restaurant, some of our produce came from the local grocery store.

Are we supposed to dig through the trash and work it out backwards? Take samples to the lab?

Or, can the RESTAURANT not make a note of what it's putting on plates, using the tools they ALREADY USE (cups, and scales) to ration the budget and schedule their supplies?

Al;so, obviously, they can track their suppliers. It would just mean managers would take information down locally.

I'm not sure Texas versus Ohio lettuce has ever been the problem.

The restaurant has the recipe and the measurements.

The upstream providers (Sysco, etc) provide the restaurants with the info...

The restaurant is the only reasonable place to get the info.

Personally, I think it's an unnecessary increased burden on businesses, and I would like to see this law repealed. However, I will be glad to get more accurate nutritional info.

I think it is the businesses responsibility to provide anyone paying them for their goods to let us be fully informed on the nutrition of the foods they are selling. Everyone has the right to be able to make healthy choices while dining out , and they as a business should provide that information.

I think in a society where people are SERIOUSLY lacking personal responsibility, they should research what they put in their mouth voluntarily.

Um. Except, the RESTAURANT is the only entity that holds that information.

If you see my post before, most chain restaurants cannot accurately know that, due to the locations of the restaurants and where the food comes from.. Hell, even when I worked at a huge, chain restaurant, some of our produce came from the local grocery store.

So where does 'personal responsibility' fit in, then?

There isn't always a calorie count option. If you eat at a friend's family or work function do you ask what the calorie content is in their food? Personal responsibility in this case would just be to stick with smart choices. If you are unsure, go with a lean steak and some steamed veggies, get the salad with no cheese and dressing, etc.... Common sense isn't going to kill someone for the occasional restaurant meal.

So, you're saying, your right to stay ignorant is preferable to maybe starting to put the breaks on the obesity epidemic?

I think it is great. I kind of wish it were required for all restaurants to at least list it somewhere, if not on the menu.

A friend of mine had been overweight for a long time, and decided to do WW. She lost like 80 pounds really quick, and I asked her what helped most from WW. She said it was just being aware of how many calories were in her food. She looked up the spicy chicken salad at Chili's that she had on a weekly basis, thinking salad+chicken=healthy. Come to find out, it was over 1500 calories for one salad! So the eye-opening factor is important, especially to help those people who aren't actively trying to lose weight so aren't tracking calories obsessively like we do.

I also think that in the long term, it will result in restaurants dialing down their huge meal portions and creating healthier menus. When customers can see, in print as they order, the calorie count on their Chili's chicken salad or Chocolate Lava cake, they will either take a pass, split dessert with the table, ask for a To-Go box up front. It might encourage innovation, forcing businesses to compete in health terms, which sounds like healthy capitalism to me.