by Haven Logan PH.D

Today’s Special:

A Triple Whopper with Cheese
Large French Fried Onion Rings
A King-Size Soda

$6.95 and 2,120 Calories
                                                              

In December 2006 New York City became the first locale in the United States to pass a bill requiring restaurants to post the caloric content of their food where everyone can see it on menus. While the New York law pertains only to restaurants which already provide nutritional information, it is the beginning of a trend which may well sweep across the country. Similar bills are pending in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, and New Jersey.

If passed, California Senate Bill 120 will require chain restaurants to list nutritional information next to each item on the menu “in a size and typeface similar to the other information about each menu item.” No more tiny print requiring a magnifying glass to read! It will also require the following statement be printed at the bottom of each menu page: “Recommended limits for a 2,000 calorie daily diet are 20 grams of saturated fat and 2,300 milligrams of sodium.”

It is estimated that on average Americans consume one-third of their daily calories outside the home. How will a law requiring restaurants to post calories and nutritional information affect you and your family? Do you welcome it as a way to help you eat healthier when dining out? Or perhaps, you are groaning because knowing that a Starbucks Venti Caffé Mocha with Whipped Cream contains 770 calories will surely take away another of life’s pleasures!

I admit I will miss the bliss of ignorance that says, “When I eat out the calories don’t really count since I don’t know how many they are.”  Once we get through our resistance, this will be a good thing since it is extremely difficult to lose or maintain weight when you eat out. You simply have no way of knowing what is really in the food you eat. Fat, sugar, and salt are the easiest and least expensive ways for restaurants to make food more appealing. They are also what we should be carefully monitoring.

If you have children, think ahead about how you are going to introduce the nutritional information to them. This can be a great chance for education. Check with their doctor for specific weight and caloric recommendations. Make sure to keep the focus on enjoying healthy foods. Also be aware of obsessive counting of calories and fat grams which can be an early sign of the eating disorders of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The government provides excellent information for both children and adults at: www.MyPyramid.gov

While many restaurants are loudly protesting these laws, I have great faith that they will figure out how to list nutrition on their menus. In the process they will be pushed to create healthier menus with smaller portions, just as food manufacturers have begun to improve their quality and quantity with the new package labeling laws. If no longer able to rely solely on salt, fat, and sugar to make food appealing, perhaps chain restaurants will discover the wonderful world of spices and herbs. Since eating away from home is a reality of modern life, this movement toward greater awareness is an important step toward better health and dealing with our national obesity crisis.