The phrase may be popular, but what the city is doing isn’t – at least not yet. But in my opinion, it should be. Even though it may be hard for some to “swallow,” it’s a reality check that could affect the lives of many, many people.
Click on this link here to check out the article and find out what I’m talking about!
Let me know what you think in the comments! Let’s get a discussion going.
Happy Hump Day š
The article link isn’t working for me :0(
Liz ~ I tried to fix it – hopefully it works now! Anyone else having that problem?
I think this is a great idea, but I am the type of person that goes online to a website and checks the menu for the calories and fat before going to eat at a restaurant. It is just so shocking. Although sometimes I wonder if people really understand the calories that they need per day. There may be people that don’t even understand that 1100 calories for a dinner is almost a days worth of calories. The article seems to say that it is working, but will it really help the people that need the most help?
Hooray, it’s working now!! Thanks, Jenn :0)
While it is ultimately the customer’s choice as to which item they want to order, I think that by including the nutritional information right there on the menu, it could help people judge whether or not the menu item is “appropriate” (i.e. if someone is trying to watch his/her caloric/fat intake, then they can decide if that menu item would fit into their meal plan or something). Overall, I think it’s a step in the right direction, and I hope that it will help the people who need it the most.
Thank you for posting the link to that article.
I 100% support the new NYC laws. I think this is fabulous. Obesity is an epidemic that all of us are paying for through taxes and health care. Yes, I am sure this isn’t going to cure it but if it just slows it down some, then great—this achieved something worthwhile. Obviously it is working:
“Both Stephanie Fowler and Lindsay Green asked about the suddenly popular Classic Sirloin ā at 290 calories, it was one of the lowest calorie items on the menu ā but learned the restaurant ran out by the time the dinner rush started.”
I think a lot of the obesity is because of uninformed eaters. I don’t think showing how many calories are in an item will cure everything. I think there is another step that needs to follow. People need to know not only the calories but also given healthier options. They need to be taught what is good for them to eat (while still being affordable). A lot of people are simply clueless and overwhelmed.
I think other states need to get on board, heck let me make the choice….give me all of the facts! Great post!
I love the idea of this. I don’t know whether it will do anything about obesity trends…people buy lots of chips and soda, and you can read the calories right on the label. I do think it will motivate some businesses to offer at least some healthier options. And it will make it harder for them to pass off calorie-laden junk as healthy.
I personally hate being unable to figure out what’s in the food that I’m ordering. I remember one time a few months ago, I uncharacteristically ordered a whole wheat mini zucchini muffin at Starbucks. I knew that Starbucks pastries weren’t going to be health food, but I thought this might not be the worst choice. It was miniature, and they were clearly marketing it as a healthy item. I looked up the nutrition info online when I got home, and that one tiny little thing had 390 calories in it! I never would have bought it if I’d known.
I really love this idea as well. I guess what worries me from the article are the people who would prefer to continue living in denial so to speak — preferring to order from the older menus so they don’t have to see how many calories are in the foods they can get.
And I have to say, I’m pretty sad about the calories in that Applebee’s salad because I love that one!
All I can say is that I wish my town did this! A lot of people really have no true concept about nutritional facts at all, let alone when dining out… I see it often with my friends who are not really focused on eating right, their perceptions of restaurant food nutritional facts are way off, so I think this is absolutely a great idea and a good way to put the focus on healthier eating and greater overall awareness!
I’m happy that NYC is taking steps to being healthier, but feel bad for all those in the city that have “eating issues” and it might make it worse. I, for selfish reasons, am actually kind of greatful they haven’t implemented this in Washington, because one of the few times I can allow myself to enjoy richer food is when I am out to a restaurant and can’t control every bit of oil and salt. But there are way more overweight people than eating disordered people in the world, so I do hope these new laws make uninformed people make better food decisions.
As a very health-conscious individual, I think this is a great idea. Ideally, you would want the outcome to the current situation to be that people see the horrific calorie-counts on the menu, don’t order those items, demand goes down, and altered, healtheir items appear on the menu. In a perfect world.
However, the attitudes of these people unfortunately predict an outcome that is quite different. The “ignorance is bliss” mindset may make you eat a 3,000 calorie meal without guilt, but it certainly won’t help the obesity epidemic.
Thanks for the link, it was really eye-opening.
I think this is a great idea and I wish all states did it. It is so hard to find a healthy meal while eating out because of things like the Friday’s salad, which you think is a healthy option but really is loaded with fat and calories. I think it is really important for the information to be available for people, and for those who don’t like the idea—they don’t have to pay attention to it! Hopefully this will encourage restaurants to come up with healthier options and everyone will become a little more aware of what they are putting into their bodies.
and on a side note: THANK YOU for introducing me to Rainier cherries. They are life-changing. With these, cin-raisin pb, and clif z bars I feel like I owe you big time! If we ever meet up, I’m treating you to dinner!
To all ~ THANK YOU SO MUCH for your thought-provoking comments. I absolutely love the effect that an article like this one has on generating a discussion among people. I will continue to post these articles in the future because of your feedback, and for that I am grateful. Check out my response in my next post, and THANKS AGAIN!
Great point, Anna. And I actually think that disordered eating is an incredibly common problem. In my opinion, it isn’t adequately discussed…people think that if a girl doesn’t have a diagnosis and weighs more than 100 lbs then she doesn’t have a problem. But the same cultural forces that make some people overeat cause others to restrict, and that is also a cause for concern. Maybe I am ususual, but a large percentage of my female friends (maybe even a majority) have struggled with disordered eating at one point or another.
Maybe there could be some sort of compromise? Rather than having Starbucks print the calories right on the label of the muffin, they could have the information posted on a wall somewhere where those who are interested could look and those who don’t want to know wouldn’t have to.
I love this. However, sometimes I just want to order without the calories in my face. Luckily, the only place I really go where they have to do this is Starbucks, and I still get the same thing, so it hasn’t changed my eating habits. My friend, on the other hand, was very sad to see that the donut she ate for breakfast every morning was over 400 calories.