Calorie counts to be added to restaurant food menus

El_Dangeroso

LordSmeg wrote: »

No I think it will allow people like me to make informed decisions on what to eat in restaurants in regards to whats high and low calorie wise.

I dont eat double cheese burgers in restaurants but I expect it all to be non too healthy nonetheless and I'd like the option at least to do some damage control. If I was tempted by as double cheese burger perhaps the knowledge that a regular burger and small fries would feed my habit by causing significantly less damage.

Whatever it does it has to be better than shrugging your shoulders and going for what looks tasty.

But you are in the extreme minority, why should businesses be mandated to calorie count everything on a menu when surely as an experienced calorie counter you can eyeball a meal and tell how much is in it. Which would probably be no more inaccurate than the restaurants calculation - even highly standardised packaged food calorie counts are inaccurate to the tune of 15%. Chefs are not robots, just because they use 15gm of butter in a dish one time does not mean it would not be 20 or 30gm the next time.

Shrugging your shoulders is not the only other option, you could, you know, just not eat the burger in the first place? Or is that too much to ask of people now, that they not consume junk food as their staple diet?

Scanlas The 2nd

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

The opposition from some of the general public here to this measure is amazing. Why on earth would someone be opposed to being more informed?

For the practically zero benefit it would provide the admin costs would be far too much.

If you want to be healthy and in shape eat real food such as meat, fish, eggs, fruit and veg. Avoid sugar, gluten and vegetable oils and you will be healthy in no time.

This calorie counting crap doesn't work. It's swimming against the current, your hormones being the current, when you eat healthily your hormones work the way they are supposed to. You don't overheat. Of course when you eat pizzas etc your hormones get fukced up and you eat too much.

Feathers

Dave! wrote: »

Obesity is the biggest predictor of a whole array of diseases in later life, so getting that under control should be priority #1. You can eat all the 'healthy' food you want, but if you're 5ft 10 and 18 stone of fat then you're still very likely to develop problems. And dropping that weight is pretty simple (in principle) -- take in less energy, use up more energy.

But if you're 5'10", that means you're going to need to lose 6st to reach your target BMI — how long will this take if you're eating bad food & not getting enough exercise? If you're 6st over-weight, the first priority is making a lifestyle change over and above eating slightly less crap food.

Shryke

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

For the practically zero benefit it would provide the admin costs would be far too much.

If you want to be healthy and in shape eat real food such as meat, fish, eggs, fruit and veg. Avoid sugar, gluten and vegetable oils and you will be healthy in no time.

This calorie counting crap doesn't work. It's swimming against the current, your hormones being the current, when you eat healthily your hormones work the way they are supposed to. You don't overheat. Of course when you eat pizzas etc your hormones get fukced up and you eat too much.

I would love for you to tell some professional athletes how their pizza influenced hormones are destroying their bodies.
Calorie counting doesn't work? Work??? It's a measure of intake not a mathematical equation and it's a perfectly fine measure to use when outlining a diet or gauging what to eat. Quit the nonsense.

thesimpsons

I really can't see it making a real difference in tackling weight issues though. walking to a meeting the other morning, 9.30am and there in front of me is a mother waddling along eating a sausage roll and her kid (about 7/8ys old) eating packet of crisps and a fizzy drink. You really think these people who already have problems with weight issues, are going to take a blind bit of notice of the calorie statement on a menu ? I recently lost 2 stone - never did a bit of calorie counting though, I just out the crap, increased veg & fruit, took up exercise. I still went out for meals in restaurants once a month and enjoyed the food without even thinking about what I ordered cos I knew you're allowed a break every now and again. already being overweight and eating crisps at 9am is hardly "every now and again".

hooradiation

The absolute best thing about this thread is the number of budding nutritionists that have come crawling out of the woodwork.

It's like a Smörgåsbord of every stupid idea anyone has ever had about food.

Sea Filly

hooradiation wrote: »

The absolute best thing about this thread is the number of budding nutritionists that have come crawling out of the woodwork.

It's like a Smörgåsbord of every stupid idea anyone has ever had about food.

Lots of people in this thread are talking sense.

PrincessLola

thesimpsons wrote: »

I really can't see it making a real difference in tackling weight issues though. walking to a meeting the other morning, 9.30am and there in front of me is a mother waddling along eating a sausage roll and her kid (about 7/8ys old) eating packet of crisps and a fizzy drink. You really thing these people who already have problems with weight issues, are going to take a blind bit of notice of the calorie statement on a menu ? I recently lost 2 stone - never did a bit of calorie counting though, I just out the crap, increased veg & fruit, took up exercise. I still went out for meals in restaurants once a month and enjoyed the food without even thinking about what I ordered cos I knew you're allowed a break every now and again. already being overweight and eating crisps at 9am is hardly "every now and again".

Thats a bit harsh. TBH.

And the people on here saying calorie counting doesn't work are idiots. There is a lot of evidence it does work.

Scanlas The 2nd

Shryke wrote: »

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

For the practically zero benefit it would provide the admin costs would be far too much.

If you want to be healthy and in shape eat real food such as meat, fish, eggs, fruit and veg. Avoid sugar, gluten and vegetable oils and you will be healthy in no time.

This calorie counting crap doesn't work. It's swimming against the current, your hormones being the current, when you eat healthily your hormones work the way they are supposed to. You don't overheat. Of course when you eat pizzas etc your hormones get fukced up and you eat too much.

I would love for you to tell some professional athletes how their pizza influenced hormones are destroying their bodies.
Calorie counting doesn't work? Work??? It's a measure of intake not a mathematical equation and it's a perfectly fine measure to use when outlining a diet or gauging what to eat. Quit the nonsense.

Eating the right foods works, if you calorie count while still eating unhealthy food it won't work long term. You will be fighting hunger and your sweet tooth forever, and that's a fight that people usually lose.

Shryke

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

Shryke wrote: »

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

For the practically zero benefit it would provide the admin costs would be far too much.

If you want to be healthy and in shape eat real food such as meat, fish, eggs, fruit and veg. Avoid sugar, gluten and vegetable oils and you will be healthy in no time.

This calorie counting crap doesn't work. It's swimming against the current, your hormones being the current, when you eat healthily your hormones work the way they are supposed to. You don't overheat. Of course when you eat pizzas etc your hormones get fukced up and you eat too much.

I would love for you to tell some professional athletes how their pizza influenced hormones are destroying their bodies.
Calorie counting doesn't work? Work??? It's a measure of intake not a mathematical equation and it's a perfectly fine measure to use when outlining a diet or gauging what to eat. Quit the nonsense.

Eating the right foods works, if you calorie count while still eating unhealthy food it won't work long term. You will be fighting hunger and your sweet tooth forever, and that's a fight that people usually lose.

What you're saying is unhealthy food is bad. Well done. Nutrition is important, is that what you're trying to say?
Calorie counting does not exclude a person from eating everything except cake. You have some notions.

cbyrd

There was a time when i would've been opposed to this but in the last 2 months i've decided enough was enough.. i joined motivation and the gym and i've lost 23 pounds in 7 weeks. This is damn hard work and i'd be very appreciative of some information when i do go out to eat, I know the basics but who knew that a burger could contain nearly 700 calories.. that's almost my whole intake for a day at the moment. People can't be saved from themselves but being informed can change a persons mind..
6% of all money spent in the health system is on obesity related illness . . if it could save one life??

oppenheimer1

hooradiation wrote: »

The absolute best thing about this thread is the number of budding nutritionists that have come crawling out of the woodwork.

It's like a Smörgåsbord of every stupid idea anyone has ever had about food.

Great contribution to a thread as always...:rolleyes:

thesimpsons

PrincessLola wrote: »

Thats a bit harsh. TBH.

that might sound harsh but its reality IMO. I can't be the only person who regularly sees severely overweight people struggle to walk and all the while still eating totally unhealthy food. Choices are made to eat unhealthily and unfortunately, too many people are choosing a sausage roll over a banana, or a fizzy drink over a bottle of water. All the calorie counting in the whole won't assist those who don't want to help themselves.

mikemac1

Marks & Spensers have a green, amber, red label system on calories, salt and other stuff on a lot of their products

It's not complicated, very easy to read

If they can do it maybe so can others

RandomName2

Shryke wrote: »

I would love for you to tell some professional athletes how their pizza influenced hormones are destroying their bodies.
Calorie counting doesn't work? Work??? It's a measure of intake not a mathematical equation and it's a perfectly fine measure to use when outlining a diet or gauging what to eat. Quit the nonsense.

Someone eating the Atkins diet will be ingesting significantly more calories than a normal diet, but will be losing weight. May just be the exception that proves the rule; it's also a particularly unhealthy diet for what it's worth.

But I'm curious what health problems can be caused by weight alone, that is if you are leaving out the health problems associated with unhealthy diets. If it's just the equivalent of carrying around weight (like in a backpack) all I can think of is joint damage and heart strain (at extremes).

Just thinking: is this the same government that has had cigarette packets be hidden, reduced advertising for food, and hours in which supermarkets can sell alcohol, and has tentatively sought to ban smoking in parks and beaches? No seriously, maybe a couple of those were in the end days of the last gov. If all the above are all enacted by the current gov, then I don't like the trend. :pac:

CathyMoran

RandomName2 wrote: »

But I'm curious what health problems can be caused by weight alone, that is if you are leaving out the health problems associated with unhealthy diets. If it's just the equivalent of carrying around weight (like in a backpack) all I can think of is joint damage and heart strain (at extremes).

Type 2 diabetes would be one thing - essentially if your body is carrying around too much weight it can have problems with insulin production (over simplification).

Feathers

RandomName2 wrote:

But I'm curious what health problems can be caused by weight alone, that is if you are leaving out the health problems associated with unhealthy diets.

Can you get to an obese level though by eating a balanced diet? I'd presume you'd get full long before you got obese enough to bring on complications!

mariano rivera

The game is up for the fatties

:D:D

No more of:


"I didnt know (munch, munch) that there were so much (Yum, Yum, Yum) calories in a snackbox (greasey sizzle), batter burger (nom, nom, nom) and a coke (Shlurpy, shlurpy).....................


.........................(BELCH)"