'Would a 1,600 calorie salad put you off?' blog discussion

disciple3d

I think it would be difficult to do this accurately - menus change regularly, and in reality, a calorie is the amount of energy it takes to heat 1cc of water by 1 degree celcius. This essentially means you have to do a scientific experiment to find out the number of calories which are really in a meal, if you want to be completely accurate - i.e. you burn the food Of course, it can be estimated, and if the information is there I would use it. On the other hand, sometimes it's just nicer not to know. Especially when we live in a thinness obsessed society. Sometimes it's nice to get away from the constant pain of self awareness. I exercise regularly and try to eat healthily, but I find I worry ALL the time about it.

That being said, where we are talking about large chain companies who serve standard fare at every branch, it isn't so hard to comply, and to be honest, they are usually the ones who have the most unhealthy food. I don't think regulations should apply to every small cafe and coffee shop the country over - it's not that easy to give accurate information, and I think a lot of it would just end up being incorrect. There was some news last year about the supermarket nutritional information being wildly inaccurate, and as much as 20% out in a lot of cases.

Cheapchick_2

I can see why it might spoil the experience of eating out if they put the info on the menu. I dont get to eat out that often so when my partner and I get a night out I wouldnt like to feel guilty about the calories I'm eating so would rather not know! However if I regularly ate out then I probably should know, so maybe if restaurants had a nutritional information menu available for those who request to see it, and just the normal one on the tables that might suit everyone.

Hayleyyr

For those of you who are worried it would standardise recipes etc and give chefs less ability to play with the food I highly doubt this. Thats because in America, the margin for error in nutritional info in a restaurant is huge. I can't remember the exact figure (will do a bit of research and see if I can find it) but I think it was around the 25% percent region. If a chef cannot alter a meal suitably within that margin then they aren't all that good at their job to be honest.

I personally think it would be a good thing to implement, even if only on request (as a lot of people seem upset by it) because it allows people to keep an eye on their diet. Yes with a large margin you can't control it exactly but if it gives you a rough idea then surely that's better than none. Especially as these days less and less people seem to have as much knowledge about food and cooking in the younger generation (and I'm 18 and saying this) and practically live off takeout, ready meal and restaurant food.

In an ideal world, sure everyone would be educated enough to make their own decision but unfortunately that isn't the case.

docp

...if it would really help "informed choice" then calorie info would be fine, but American menus are often fooling themselves. On hotel menus I have seen things like, let's say, "chicken breast and salad" with 400 calories. So you order it thinking you are being a good girl (or boy). Invariably, your low calorie chicken breast would arrive with a huge plate of fries as a side dish. Then there would be a family-sized bottle of ketchup and a bowl full of sachets with salad dressings and mayonnaise. Your calories will be out of the window quicker than you can say "400". And I bet some people will eat the lot and afterwards be convinced they had a healthy low-calorie meal :doh:

hayleythedaisy

If this were to come in I really don't think it should apply to a menu that isn't served in at least 3 venues, that way the chains would have to do it but the small restaurants wouldnt have to incur the extra expense and hassle so wouldn't be detered from putting one off items on the menu.
After all this is MSE and who would have to pay the extra for the work involved.

katiegizmo

I was browsing some menus and I saw a restaurant with a pizza called 'the artery clogger'. ew!
While I might treat myself to a meal still even if I knew it as 1600 calories as you could justify eating less calories the following day etc I don't think I could face something called that!

I'd personally like to see calories etc listed - if only because if I was deciding between 2 dishes it would swing me to the healthier option. I wouldnt let it totally dictate what I ate as like I said, you can control your intake in other ways.

Its also helpful if following a special diet to see more detailed information, it's not always possible to get the info from the staff

pjvenner

It's not the calorie count that puts me off it - it's the word SALAD!

On a serious note, as another poster commented, mandatory nutritional values on food appear to be designed to protect big businesses rather than consumers - a perfectly good cafe that serves freshly cooked food cannot be expected to know the values of each portion served. Why not allow a label saying that the values are not available?

Most people are smart enough to realise that a salad is served with half a can of corned beef or spam has more fat & calories than you might expect from a salad. Ditto for dressings that aren't served in calorie marked sachets.

Am I the only one that finds it ironic that so many people in a money savers forum support a measure that will cost everybody more?

bobo1979

I think it should be introduced. Alongside scores on the doors it's all about consumer choice and I don't believe it would be too much to police as it is likely to be self regulating

katyboo123

It would put me off, yes, I am trying to watch my weight so if I go out to eat for a treat I tend to order low calorie stuff, i.e. dry tomato based veggie dishes, jacket potatoes, etc - weight watchers has gone a long way in to helping me make informed choices about 'pub grub' but I do think it should be put on the menu - for example, a ploughmans lunch has more calories and sat fats than small fish and chips! )

I think its a good idea and I also think we should have low fat chain (like Frankie and Bennys, etc) nationwide so wherever you are, like away on business, out shopping, you can knowingly get a good, low fat meal (even if it's unplanned).

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