Friday, October 10, 2008

Do You Know What You're Eating?


Recently The Governator signed a bill requiring restaurants to list nutritional content of menu items.

Personally, I LOVE this idea. Just today, I was craving a Bonzai Bowl from Wahoos (black beans, rice, veggies & chicken). I thought this was a healthy option. BUT my friends, I discovered online that this bowl has OVER 1000 calories. For lunch? No thank you sir.


So I changed my mind.

And that's a GOOD THING!


With the obesity rates sky rocketing, we all need to be aware of what we are putting in our bodies. And restaurants have tricky little ways of adding way more calories into dishes than we think.


So I'm all for this. It can even be just a little, discreet number on the menu.


How do you guys feel about this?
Would you change your eating habits or menu selections?


Last: I am totally addicted to The Impossible Quiz. It makes no sense, but it's like crack.

43 comments:

Mel-2nd Chances said...

knowing how many calories are in something totally makes me think twice before indulging in something. I bought the book Calorie King, which really opened my eyes to certain food/dishes that i also thought were healthy options... scary! LOL

Amy - the gazelle said...

I think it's an excellent idea. On days when I want to know, I can find out. There are times when I don't, and then I can just ignore that information - but I'd rather have the option to be informed!

Midwest said...

I completely agree. It should be easy to be informed about what you're eating.

Unknown said...

Love that idea. It would help me make informed decisions. Atleast I would know what I am eating.

Sarah said...

HUGE supporter of this! maybe people will think before they feed their already chubby kids McDonald's if they can see what's in it. I know for me - looking up the nurtritional information online at certain places has totally changed the way I order.

Aron said...

i LOVE this too! its always crazy how many extra calories are in restaurant food. would definitely impact my decisions :)

Judi said...

When I eat out, I am not looking to eat healthy. I prepare food at home most of the time, and then when we go out to eat, it's usually to pig out.

:)

thebets said...

I rarely ever go out to eat because there are so few healthy food choices on the menu these days. I think that's why I like sushi so much...less ingredients and more yumminess. I would LOVE it if restaurants would put the nutritional info. on the menus.

chia said...

I have no idea how these people can make black beans and rice so calorically dense. What, do they soak beans in pig lard or something?

I'm really thrilled Cali. went this route. Hopefully the mantra traverses this way ;-)

Lauren said...

I had a lay over in New York which passed this law. We went to McDonalds and they had numbers taped up next to every menu item. I still got the chicken biscuit which I justified after a 17 hour flight, but I passed on the frozen yogurt from the place next door. I would think some places might go out of business. Some of those calorie contents were unbelievable!! If it's in California now, maybe we can expect that trend to hit Louisiana by 2021!

Susan said...

I think it's a good idea and only good can come from it.

Tina Mickelson said...

I love the idea, I'm sure the hubby does not. He likes to be in the dark about things but then again at least he might get SOME nutritional value out of that 1000 calorie meal instead of the Snickers Bar and HUGE Pepsi he would have for Breakfast when we started dating.

I'm excited to have the power in my hands to either pass or indulge with all the facts in my hand. After my 18 mile run on Sunday you had better bet your Ass I'll be indulging.

Viv said...

I love that. They did in NY and now the Governator does it for Cali..
Hello people TX needs that yesterday.


Have a great weekend, hope you are recovering super from the marathon!

Spicy Latina said...

I'm all for it! I'm also loving and hating that damn quiz! Curse you Captain!

Carolina John said...

yes yes yes yes yes yes yes. California does so much stuff right! Here is South Carolina, we can't convince anybody that nutritional information is a good thing. That's why we are full of fat people. Go Governator! I have really learned what to look for in restaurants, and just cut out fast food all together. Even the salads at mcdonalds are unhealthy?

Anonymous said...

It's a "good idea" but it's not really the role of Govt. to tell a restaurant what it has to display on it's menu.

The fact of that matter is that it adds to the cost of running a business which will be passed on to the consumer.

P.O.M. said...

I can see why a business wouldn't want to do it = time & money. But I think it's their responsibility and should be a part of the cost of running a business.

Someone going to Quiznos to get a Tuna Melt probably thinks it's a healthy choice. When it's actually 2090 calories with 175 g of fat. We have the right to know what we are purchasing and putting into our bodies.

teacherwoman said...

I think that sounds great! I also think that far too often we may think we are eating okay when dining out, but the reality can be qutie a shocker... I would definitely change my eating habits. I have done so already when I have found out how many calories some of my favorites are...

It's a good thing!

Marci said...

Holy crap - no tuna melt for me! That is insane! I think consumers need to know. I'll be honest, sometimes I don't care (post marathon), but most times I need to be aware!

Emily said...

This is a great idea. (Like putting diseased mouths on cigarette boxes...maybe they should do that and show some muffin tops or double chins too.)

I always try to get something nutritional but you never know. I ate Jimmy John's vegetarian sandwich for months until I looked it up online and found out it was the 2nd highest calorie/fat item on their menu next to their red beef-a-thon sub.

46 grams of fat on a veggie sandwich - WTF?!

Laura said...

NYC did that a few months ago, and I LOVE seeing the calorie counts on everything! It drives me nuts when I travel and can't remember the calorie counts at Starbucks or something and THEY'RE NOT THERE!

Kevin said...

I think its a great idea if a business chooses to do it, but I dont think it's the government's job to tell business to do it. It seems like these days people more and more want the government to coddle them. The info is out there, you just have to look for it.

Most major chains post their information online, and unless the nutrition info is available, or the ingredients are obvious, one should assume that what you are being served is likely high in calories,fat, and other assorted junk.

Carly said...

Uff da...so many things....

First of all CONGRATULATIONS on the sub 4 hour race! You rocked it.

It looked like you had a blast while you were there. I am sooo jealous of the blogger meet up. Great pics too.

Finally....I agree that all menus need to have have the info on it.

J~Mom said...

It's a great idea! I have totally dropped a few things from my diet just based on fat grams alone!

C said...

I know seeing the nutritional information of a meal would make me think twice before ordering and that can only be a good thing. I'm not overly fond of the idea of government interceding into this aspect of our lives, but obviously America needs it as obesity is still on the rise.

carla said...

I wouldnt

I think I already KINDA KNOW and, for the most part, when I eat out it's a screwcalories kind of thing.

ShirleyPerly said...

I think this is a GREAT idea. I rarely eat out, however, and doubt it would change my mind much (since I pretty much already assume everything has at least 500-1000 cals) but think it would educate a lot of folks and maybe help them manage their weight better.

N.D. said...

Totally agree - I think I'm making smart choices and then see the nutrition facts. Totally will help with obesity!!

Laurel said...

It's the best idea ever! After working in the restaurant industry for over 10 years, I see what places use to cook with (really good restaurants, too!). The average person has no idea. Not to mention portion sizes are ridiculous!

Laurel said...

P.S.
Chia had it correct up above. The places I worked in usually cook the black beans in bacon grease, for flavor of course.

Kristen said...

I am friends with Alisa and I have recently began reading your blog. I love it! Congrats on Portland!!

I totally agree that nutritional facts should be available for all foods. People can no longer use the excuse they "don't know" how bad certain foods are for them. Just have to remember to not look up the calories on some of my favorite spluges. It might take the fun out of it. :)

Michelle said...

Excellent idea, i am all for it!!

Victoria said...

I'm with Judi on this one-- I eat at home/prepare my own food the vast majority of the time because it's cheaper and much better for me. Then when I go out, it's usually a "let's push the boat out" night and the last thing I want to think about is the number of calories in what I'm eating.

I guess I *might* appreciate this if I had to take clients out to meals on a regular basis, but I'm not sure this is the best use of governmental regulatory energy/ expenditure.

Julianne said...

Hell yes! I can't wait for this actually becomes a reality!!

Anne said...

I think it's wonderful and only wish it wasn't limited to chain restaurants. But it's a good start.

Jess said...

So where is the nutritional info avialable? Online? On the menus themselves?

Shoe Running said...

It's about time! Full disclosure of nutritional information will broaden the variety of food available and improve the quality. I almost never eat out, mostly because I find it difficult to find restaurants that serve low-calorie food...living in san francisco makes it easier, but my friends usually want to get burritos or pizza, so I just eat before I go out.

Unknown said...

It is GREAT to know exactly what we're eating. We have the right to know that info. And if people don't want to know, then they just don't have to look. But the information should definitely be available.

Al's CL Reviews said...

I think it is a great idea.

Some college thinks otherwise though. They pulled all of their NI because they were afraid of the students getting eating disorders.

RunToTheFinish said...

I've seen debates on this and personally I love it. It would be great if they did it everywhere!

Alisa said...

I love this idea and hope it spreads everywhere. There are so many overweight people and sadly, overweight children. Maybe if people had to stare at the calorie counts they would think twice. I would!

RooBabs said...

Knowledge is power, right? Or "knowing is half the battle" (go Joe!). I definitely base my choices on nutritional content, and like you say, sometimes what you think is a healthy option is not all that great (a lot of times it may have healthy ingredients, but the portion is too big).

When I know in advance where I'll be eating out, I'll check for their nutrition info online, and it's so irritating when places don't have it available, because then I'm left to my own devices which aren't always so accurate.

Good job Governator!

MB said...

I'm sure the restaurants are kickng and screaming about this because I have a feeling people would hardly eat out again if they started putting calorie counts on the menu. Even a healthy looking chicken dinner would probably be 800-1,000 calories in most restaurants.