NYC Mulls Ban on Trans Fats in Eateries

[Caladan 19]

I'm not sure where I stand on this, and it's not due to paternalism concerns, but because I'm not sure how bad trans fats are. Lemme explain.

If the fast food companies were putting carcinogens or poisons into food, we'd have no problem with the FDA banning them. We wouldn't be arguing that it was people's choice to get cancer or something.

But we'd probably be annoyed if they banned chocolate on the grounds that if you ate too much, you'd be sick.

And I'm not sure where trans fats fall on this continuum. At the least, though, the labels should identify what is in the food and it should be well-publicized when there are risks and problems.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I'm not sure where I stand on this, and it's not due to paternalism concerns, but because I'm not sure how bad trans fats are. Lemme explain.

If the fast food companies were putting carcinogens or poisons into food, we'd have no problem with the FDA banning them. We wouldn't be arguing that it was people's choice to get cancer or something.

But we'd probably be annoyed if they banned chocolate on the grounds that if you ate too much, you'd be sick.

And I'm not sure where trans fats fall on this continuum. At the least, though, the labels should identify what is in the food and it should be well-publicized when there are risks and problems.

Good point and I don't think it's the job of the FDA to make health choices for us. It's their job to regulate the industry in making sure ingredients aren't detrimental to our health. I don't think anyone could outright argue that chocolate is detrimental to our health in all cases or that it's effects are long term. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, however, show to NEVER be okay and the amount that is being used in products is very high...

In the United States, typical french fries have about 40 percent trans fatty acids and many popular cookies and crackers range from 30 percent to 50 percent trans fatty acids. Doughnuts have about 35 percent to 40 percent trans fatty acids.

In this case, it's not the FDA, but the state of NY that wants to ban products with trans fats in them. Hopefully, this will get the food industry to be more agressive in removing PHVO from their products...especially since it wasn't long ago when they were using lard instead.

[Lewis 0]

I'm not sure where I stand on this, and it's not due to paternalism concerns, but because I'm not sure how bad trans fats are. Lemme explain.

If the fast food companies were putting carcinogens or poisons into food, we'd have no problem with the FDA banning them. We wouldn't be arguing that it was people's choice to get cancer or something.

But we'd probably be annoyed if they banned chocolate on the grounds that if you ate too much, you'd be sick.

And I'm not sure where trans fats fall on this continuum. At the least, though, the labels should identify what is in the food and it should be well-publicized when there are risks and problems.

Also, what's next? Grilled meats because there is evidence that grilling meat produces carcinogens? Coffee, because caffeine could be considered an addictive substance? Chocolate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What about the seafood and the amount of mercury it could possibly contain? Not every piece of fish is tested.

Labels are great, but many restaraunts don't use them. If you eat too many trans fats, you will possibly suffer ill effects. If you drink too much alcohol or smoke tobacco, you will possibly suffer ill effects. Where does the line between individual responsiblity and governmental responsiblity lie?

[YuAndDan 153]

I believe Canada has also banned foods containing trans fats. There is nothing redeeming about partially hydrogenated vegetable oil - and it's essentially a lab created fat. Our bodies think it's unsaturated (veg. fat), but it's not....just like the ol' Parkay commercials.

I always wondered why the food up there tends to taste strange.

The last time I was in NYC I ordered orange juice with breakfast and was shocked at the $4.00 price added to my breakfast bill. It seems that the price of a meal in NYC is ridiculous, now with this idea it just gives the restaurants another reason to jack the price up some more.

[Reba 2]

Look at it this way tho. McDonald's changed the oil that they're frying the french fries in because vegetarians found out they'd been putting beef stock in it for flavour, and caused an uproar. Now, why oh why any vegeatarian would think that McDonalds is a vegetarian restaurant is beyond me, but then, people have sued them for having hot coffee

The point being of course, that the big conglomeration changed their food production for a very small but outspoken population of consumers. If the rest of us stand on our soap boxes and start yelling about the now changed oil being PHVO and no better for us than the beef flavouring was for the vegetarians, then maybe, Just maybe, they'll listen.

And if we get on an even higher soap box, and start yelling about all the other ####### that is in our processed convenience foods, and STOP buying them, maybe, just maybe, they'll stop and listen. And maybe they'll see that they really can make the same products just as economically, but just a little bit more healthfully than they are now.

Sugars and fats are not necessarily always bad for us. But in studies, trans-fats and high fructose corn syrup have shown to be *very* bad. And they're in pretty much everything and are impossible to avoid if you don't read labels.

If we keep buyin' 'em they'll keep makin' 'em, simple as that. It may have started as Supply and Demand, but now its Demand and Supply. If people actually knew what they were eating, they may demand otherwise.

That said, I'm now going to go pour myself a bowl of organic breakfast cereal and another cup of coffee.

[homesick_american 1]

I'm not sure where I stand on this, and it's not due to paternalism concerns, but because I'm not sure how bad trans fats are. Lemme explain.

If the fast food companies were putting carcinogens or poisons into food, we'd have no problem with the FDA banning them. We wouldn't be arguing that it was people's choice to get cancer or something.

But we'd probably be annoyed if they banned chocolate on the grounds that if you ate too much, you'd be sick.

And I'm not sure where trans fats fall on this continuum. At the least, though, the labels should identify what is in the food and it should be well-publicized when there are risks and problems.

Also, what's next? Grilled meats because there is evidence that grilling meat produces carcinogens? Coffee, because caffeine could be considered an addictive substance? Chocolate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What about the seafood and the amount of mercury it could possibly contain? Not every piece of fish is tested.

Labels are great, but many restaraunts don't use them. If you eat too many trans fats, you will possibly suffer ill effects. If you drink too much alcohol or smoke tobacco, you will possibly suffer ill effects. Where does the line between individual responsiblity and governmental responsiblity lie?

The thing is, alcohol in moderation isn't going to kill you. There is no safe amount of trans-fats in the human diet. Trans-fats are pure garbage used to adulterate food to increase the food industry's profit margins. I would love to be able to stop scouring labels and interpreting food ingredients to keep this sh!t out of my body, but apparently peoples' freedom to poison themselves and make the rest of us pay for it through sky-high insurance premiums is more important.

Seems like there's no such thing as 'society' anymore. People seem to no longer have any sense of collective responsibility.

Look at it this way tho. McDonald's changed the oil that they're frying the french fries in because vegetarians found out they'd been putting beef stock in it for flavour, and caused an uproar. Now, why oh why any vegeatarian would think that McDonalds is a vegetarian restaurant is beyond me, but then, people have sued them for having hot coffee

The point being of course, that the big conglomeration changed their food production for a very small but outspoken population of consumers. If the rest of us stand on our soap boxes and start yelling about the now changed oil being PHVO and no better for us than the beef flavouring was for the vegetarians, then maybe, Just maybe, they'll listen.

And if we get on an even higher soap box, and start yelling about all the other ####### that is in our processed convenience foods, and STOP buying them, maybe, just maybe, they'll stop and listen. And maybe they'll see that they really can make the same products just as economically, but just a little bit more healthfully than they are now.

Sugars and fats are not necessarily always bad for us. But in studies, trans-fats and high fructose corn syrup have shown to be *very* bad. And they're in pretty much everything and are impossible to avoid if you don't read labels.

If we keep buyin' 'em they'll keep makin' 'em, simple as that. It may have started as Supply and Demand, but now its Demand and Supply. If people actually knew what they were eating, they may demand otherwise.

That said, I'm now going to go pour myself a bowl of organic breakfast cereal and another cup of coffee.

Poisons that are less harmful to people than trans fats are banned, but since the food industry has such powerful lobbyists, trans fats aren't banned...and they keep people eating them by making them think their FREEDOM is at stake.

It's RIDICULOUS.

The western world needs to wake up before we eat ourselves to death. Seriously, people. It's getting to the point where the American and various European militaries have to turn away volunteers because they're too fat. Hospitals have to buy super-size beds, MRI machines, and lifting equipment to accomodate the super-obese. Airlines have had to recalculate how much fuel they need because people are so much heavier than they used to be. Furniture and cars have to be reinforced. Medical staff have to use larger bore needles or sometimes have to resort to intrusive methods to get medication to the obese, since the standard needles simply can't penetrate through the massive layers of fat anymore.

How much more are we going to take before we wake the #### up and realize we are killing ourselves, we are killing our children, we're going to choke our healthcare system to death with our fat...and it is entirely preventable?

[Fischkoepfin 1]

Seems like there's no such thing as 'society' anymore. People seem to no longer have any sense of collective responsibility.

Yeah, today everything that used to be viewed as collective responsibility is consumed by our desire for individual responsibilty. What we forget in that equation is that because individuals are part of a society and function within that society, individual responsibility cannot exist without collective responsibility.

[homesick_american 1]

Seems like there's no such thing as 'society' anymore. People seem to no longer have any sense of collective responsibility.

Yeah, today everything that used to be viewed as collective responsibility is consumed by our desire for individual responsibilty. What we forget in that equation is that because individuals are part of a society and function within that society, individual responsibility cannot exist without collective responsibility.

Amen. I hate the 'me me me'-ness of modern culture. People do not exist in a vacuum.

[Lewis 0]

I'm not sure where I stand on this, and it's not due to paternalism concerns, but because I'm not sure how bad trans fats are. Lemme explain.

If the fast food companies were putting carcinogens or poisons into food, we'd have no problem with the FDA banning them. We wouldn't be arguing that it was people's choice to get cancer or something.

But we'd probably be annoyed if they banned chocolate on the grounds that if you ate too much, you'd be sick.

And I'm not sure where trans fats fall on this continuum. At the least, though, the labels should identify what is in the food and it should be well-publicized when there are risks and problems.

Also, what's next? Grilled meats because there is evidence that grilling meat produces carcinogens? Coffee, because caffeine could be considered an addictive substance? Chocolate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What about the seafood and the amount of mercury it could possibly contain? Not every piece of fish is tested.

Labels are great, but many restaraunts don't use them. If you eat too many trans fats, you will possibly suffer ill effects. If you drink too much alcohol or smoke tobacco, you will possibly suffer ill effects. Where does the line between individual responsiblity and governmental responsiblity lie?

The thing is, alcohol in moderation isn't going to kill you. There is no safe amount of trans-fats in the human diet. Trans-fats are pure garbage used to adulterate food to increase the food industry's profit margins. I would love to be able to stop scouring labels and interpreting food ingredients to keep this sh!t out of my body, but apparently peoples' freedom to poison themselves and make the rest of us pay for it through sky-high insurance premiums is more important.

Seems like there's no such thing as 'society' anymore. People seem to no longer have any sense of collective responsibility.

Look at it this way tho. McDonald's changed the oil that they're frying the french fries in because vegetarians found out they'd been putting beef stock in it for flavour, and caused an uproar. Now, why oh why any vegeatarian would think that McDonalds is a vegetarian restaurant is beyond me, but then, people have sued them for having hot coffee

The point being of course, that the big conglomeration changed their food production for a very small but outspoken population of consumers. If the rest of us stand on our soap boxes and start yelling about the now changed oil being PHVO and no better for us than the beef flavouring was for the vegetarians, then maybe, Just maybe, they'll listen.

And if we get on an even higher soap box, and start yelling about all the other ####### that is in our processed convenience foods, and STOP buying them, maybe, just maybe, they'll stop and listen. And maybe they'll see that they really can make the same products just as economically, but just a little bit more healthfully than they are now.

Sugars and fats are not necessarily always bad for us. But in studies, trans-fats and high fructose corn syrup have shown to be *very* bad. And they're in pretty much everything and are impossible to avoid if you don't read labels.

If we keep buyin' 'em they'll keep makin' 'em, simple as that. It may have started as Supply and Demand, but now its Demand and Supply. If people actually knew what they were eating, they may demand otherwise.

That said, I'm now going to go pour myself a bowl of organic breakfast cereal and another cup of coffee.

Poisons that are less harmful to people than trans fats are banned, but since the food industry has such powerful lobbyists, trans fats aren't banned...and they keep people eating them by making them think their FREEDOM is at stake.

It's RIDICULOUS.

The western world needs to wake up before we eat ourselves to death. Seriously, people. It's getting to the point where the American and various European militaries have to turn away volunteers because they're too fat. Hospitals have to buy super-size beds, MRI machines, and lifting equipment to accomodate the super-obese. Airlines have had to recalculate how much fuel they need because people are so much heavier than they used to be. Furniture and cars have to be reinforced. Medical staff have to use larger bore needles or sometimes have to resort to intrusive methods to get medication to the obese, since the standard needles simply can't penetrate through the massive layers of fat anymore.

How much more are we going to take before we wake the #### up and realize we are killing ourselves, we are killing our children, we're going to choke our healthcare system to death with our fat...and it is entirely preventable?

Relax, I'm not a lobbyist, I was just stating an opinion. Ok. I get it that you don't like trans fats or the fact that Americans have gotten fatter over the years. Nice imagery with the needles. Let me ask you this- is it society's or the government fault that some Americans or anyone else on the planet has become obese? Did society or the government force these people to overeat? Did transfats cause all of the obesity we see today? Does lack of exercise play a role? Maybe we should ban tvs, pcs and videogames because they are also connected to the obesity problem in some people's opinions.

I think it also horrible that we have a health problem in our country with obesity. I'm also not against coming up with collective solutions. Hey maybe the government can institute a mandatory exercise hour for everyday of the week, I might consider that. I just think an outright ban on transfats is a bit extreme, that's all. There are many substances in our food that could negatively affect us over a cumulative period of time and they are not banned, that is all.

Some solutions:

Pedestrian friendly designs for new developments and older cities

Education

More labeling

Put PE back in public schools

Parental responsiblity

Demand and Supply

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Relax, I'm not a lobbyist, I was just stating an opinion. Ok. I get it that you don't like trans fats or the fact that Americans have gotten fatter over the years. Nice imagery with the needles. Let me ask you this- is it society's or the government fault that some Americans or anyone else on the planet has become obese? Did society or the government force these people to overeat? Did transfats cause all of the obesity we see today? Does lack of exercise play a role? Maybe we should ban tvs, pcs and videogames because they are also connected to the obesity problem in some people's opinions.

I think it also horrible that we have a health problem in our country with obesity. I'm also not against coming up with collective solutions. Hey maybe the government can institute a mandatory exercise hour for everyday of the week, I might consider that. I just think an outright ban on transfats is a bit extreme, that's all. There are many substances in our food that could negatively affect us over a cumulative period of time and they are not banned, that is all.

Some solutions:

Pedestrian friendly designs for new developments and older cities

Education

More labeling

Put PE back in public schools

Parental responsiblity

Demand and Supply

I agree with the premise that we as consumers should have ultimate freedom of choice which shouldn't be mandated by the government. However, a real choice must be there. The food industry cleverly changes ingredients, sizes of packaging without ever informing the consumer. I recently noticed now that all the major brands of ice cream are no longer half gallon, but 1.75 quarters! How clever of them - the consumer assumes they're getting what they paid for as before...but not really.

The market isn't entirely dictated by demand, but that's exactly what the food industry wants us to believe. Do you ever wonder why Coke dominates in certain markets? Because they get exclusive contracts with resaurants that will only carry Coke...or Pepsi...but as for the little guys (RC Cola...forget it).

The food industry is reluctant to phase out trans fats because of the costs of doing so and huge conglomerates like Philip Morris own a significant amount of shelf space in the grocery markets. I worked in grocery retail for many years and those companies actually pay for shelf space which often means the smaller companies get very little if any shelf space. Like Walmart's dominance of retail, Philip Morris can pretty much dictate what they want to put in their foods. The consumer is then left with really no choice at all, and thus no freedom. So it's a matter of whose taking our freedom of choice away...the food industry or the government?

[Lewis 0]

Relax, I'm not a lobbyist, I was just stating an opinion. Ok. I get it that you don't like trans fats or the fact that Americans have gotten fatter over the years. Nice imagery with the needles. Let me ask you this- is it society's or the government fault that some Americans or anyone else on the planet has become obese? Did society or the government force these people to overeat? Did transfats cause all of the obesity we see today? Does lack of exercise play a role? Maybe we should ban tvs, pcs and videogames because they are also connected to the obesity problem in some people's opinions.

I think it also horrible that we have a health problem in our country with obesity. I'm also not against coming up with collective solutions. Hey maybe the government can institute a mandatory exercise hour for everyday of the week, I might consider that. I just think an outright ban on transfats is a bit extreme, that's all. There are many substances in our food that could negatively affect us over a cumulative period of time and they are not banned, that is all.

Some solutions:

Pedestrian friendly designs for new developments and older cities

Education

More labeling

Put PE back in public schools

Parental responsiblity

Demand and Supply

I agree with the premise that we as consumers should have ultimate freedom of choice which shouldn't be mandated by the government. However, a real choice must be there. The food industry cleverly changes ingredients, sizes of packaging without ever informing the consumer. I recently noticed now that all the major brands of ice cream are no longer half gallon, but 1.75 quarters! How clever of them - the consumer assumes they're getting what they paid for as before...but not really.

The market isn't entirely dictated by demand, but that's exactly what the food industry wants us to believe. Do you ever wonder why Coke dominates in certain markets? Because they get exclusive contracts with resaurants that will only carry Coke...or Pepsi...but as for the little guys (RC Cola...forget it).

The food industry is reluctant to phase out trans fats because of the costs of doing so and huge conglomerates like Philip Morris own a significant amount of shelf space in the grocery markets. I worked in grocery retail for many years and those companies actually pay for shelf space which often means the smaller companies get very little if any shelf space. Like Walmart's dominance of retail, Philip Morris can pretty much dictate what they want to put in their foods. The consumer is then left with really no choice at all, and thus no freedom. So it's a matter of whose taking our freedom of choice away...the food industry or the government?

Granted, no market when it comes to food in the US is entirely dictated by demand but that was not what I was aiming at. Demand is still the major determinant though IMO, especially when it comes to food. I wonder what caused the food industry to initially to put this stuff in foods? I have no idea dude. I seriously think there is a better way to approach the obesity problem today. A one pronged approach that focuses on external forces just does not cut it. We are talking about a personal thing here, people do have choices of what they can put in their mouths. I think it goes a lot deeper than blaming corporations for obesity. It's very hard to believe if they banned trans fats and/or HFCS that it would even make a dent in the obesity problem. I still think education is the way to go with this one.

Ok example. I just got back from the store. I purchased some of that non-trans fat health spread instead of butter or margarine. It was more expensive. If I did not have enough money, I would have gone without or bought one of the others. As for choices in the market, IMO there are way more today than at any time in US history, I don't understand how you could even suggest there could be no choices. Yes companies make contracts with schools, ballparks and stores to sell their products. But the consumer buys them eventually. Maybe a boycott would be more effective than an outright ban. Who knows?

On a personal level, it really sucks that people are getting fatter, but I don't blame anyone for it at all. Transfats are bad, I avoid them myself but also anything in excess except for fresh air and VJ!

[homesick_american 1]

Relax, I'm not a lobbyist, I was just stating an opinion. Ok. I get it that you don't like trans fats or the fact that Americans have gotten fatter over the years. Nice imagery with the needles. Let me ask you this- is it society's or the government fault that some Americans or anyone else on the planet has become obese? Did society or the government force these people to overeat? Did transfats cause all of the obesity we see today? Does lack of exercise play a role? Maybe we should ban tvs, pcs and videogames because they are also connected to the obesity problem in some people's opinions.

The needles bit is true; talk to any medical professional. If I knew precisely what caused America's obesity problem, I'd be a millionaire because I'd know exactly what to do to solve it. Sure, a sedentary lifestyle is partly to blame, what we eat is partly to blame, how much of it we eat is partly to blame, etc.

I think it also horrible that we have a health problem in our country with obesity. I'm also not against coming up with collective solutions. Hey maybe the government can institute a mandatory exercise hour for everyday of the week, I might consider that. I just think an outright ban on transfats is a bit extreme, that's all. There are many substances in our food that could negatively affect us over a cumulative period of time and they are not banned, that is all.

I don't think banning trans fats is extreme. I think it's a moral obligation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fats#Health_effects

Some solutions:

Pedestrian friendly designs for new developments and older cities

Education

More labeling

Put PE back in public schools

Parental responsiblity

Demand and Supply

I don't disagree with any of that, but the pedestrianized cities of Europe have increasing problems with obesity...they also have PE in their schools. The solutions you've proposed seem to deal mainly with preventing children from becoming fat; what's to be done for the adults? I personally do not want to pay hundreds and hundreds more in health insurance premiums because some lazy a$$ sees being fat as a constitutional right.

[Lewis 0]

Relax, I'm not a lobbyist, I was just stating an opinion. Ok. I get it that you don't like trans fats or the fact that Americans have gotten fatter over the years. Nice imagery with the needles. Let me ask you this- is it society's or the government fault that some Americans or anyone else on the planet has become obese? Did society or the government force these people to overeat? Did transfats cause all of the obesity we see today? Does lack of exercise play a role? Maybe we should ban tvs, pcs and videogames because they are also connected to the obesity problem in some people's opinions.

The needles bit is true; talk to any medical professional. If I knew precisely what caused America's obesity problem, I'd be a millionaire because I'd know exactly what to do to solve it. Sure, a sedentary lifestyle is partly to blame, what we eat is partly to blame, how much of it we eat is partly to blame, etc.

I think it also horrible that we have a health problem in our country with obesity. I'm also not against coming up with collective solutions. Hey maybe the government can institute a mandatory exercise hour for everyday of the week, I might consider that. I just think an outright ban on transfats is a bit extreme, that's all. There are many substances in our food that could negatively affect us over a cumulative period of time and they are not banned, that is all.

I don't think banning trans fats is extreme. I think it's a moral obligation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fats#Health_effects

Some solutions:

Pedestrian friendly designs for new developments and older cities

Education

More labeling

Put PE back in public schools

Parental responsiblity

Demand and Supply

I don't disagree with any of that, but the pedestrianized cities of Europe have increasing problems with obesity...they also have PE in their schools. The solutions you've proposed seem to deal mainly with preventing children from becoming fat; what's to be done for the adults? I personally do not want to pay hundreds and hundreds more in health insurance premiums because some lazy a$$ sees being fat as a constitutional right.

You seem to have some biases against people that are overweight, don't know what to say about that. So what is your stance? Is it the fat people's fault or the government/corporations fault for them being fat? By saying they are lazy you imply the reason they are fat is because they do not exercise, not because they eat trans fats. Fat people come from all political spectrums. I proposed multiple solutions and there are many more.

For adults:

A balanced diet with a positive, goal oriented approach

Exercise

Group fitness

Home meal preparation

Behavioral counseling

Education

Grow your own food

Government mandated fitness programs? (just as intrusive as banning food products)

Government dictated diets? (too much like 1984, maybe Soylent Green was trans fats!)

Do you have any evidence whatsoever that banning transfats and/or HFCs will affect the obesity problem in any way or is it more of a question of human behaviors? If something is legal, such as smoking or drinking I accept that people have the right to do it. If I disagree with it, I let people, markets, and the government know about it through purchasing power and the voting booth.

It would be interesting to see how many anti-trans fats people deal with this upcoming Halloween. Will they allow their children trans fats or support corporations by buying or consuming trans fats products? I believe they will. Markets do change according to consumers demands, many companies have actually changed the ingredients and portion sizes in response, which I think is great. For me it's not a political issue at all, it's all about behavior.

[Fischkoepfin 1]

I read this op-ed piece this morning in the New York Times, and while the transfat-issue is definitely important, it seems the legislation has another provision of interest.

October 1, 2006

Op-Ed Contributor

Trans Fat Nation

By MARION NESTLE

THE proposal last week from the New York City Health Department to require restaurants to use cooking oils free of trans fats was a no-brainer. Trans fats — which are not natural in food but a byproduct of the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils — raise the risk of heart disease, can easily be replaced and should have been out of the food supply a long time ago.

But eliminating trans fats will do nothing to help New Yorkers prevent obesity, which is the greatest food-related threat Americans face. Trans fats are what nutritionists like me call a “calorie distracter.” Removing them from your diet can lull you into forgetting that foods have calories. When it comes to obesity, how much you eat is more important than what you eat.

Lost in the hoopla over the trans fat decision was a second proposal from the health department that might have a far greater impact: to require restaurants that offer foods and drinks made from standard recipes — McDonald’s and Starbucks, for example — to display calorie contents on menu boards.

For doing something about obesity, it’s the calories — not the trans fats — that count. Labeling restaurant calories is a good idea because nobody, not even a trained nutritionist, can compute the number of calories in a meal without knowing the type and weight of every ingredient that goes into it.

Some fast-food companies and family-style chain restaurants have this information because their products are standardized, but usually you have to ask for the numbers or need a computer to find them. You might think twice about asking a Starbucks barista to make you a venti Caffè Mocha with breve milk and whipped cream if you knew it contained 770 calories, one-third of the daily calories needed by an average adult.

McDonald’s does list nutrition information at its restaurants, but on the bottom of the tray liners, where you are likely to find it only after you have eaten your food. (Last year the company announced it intended to start labeling the packaging of some products in 2006, but those packages haven’t arrived at my local McDonald’s outlets.) You might choose smaller portions if you knew in advance that three pieces of McDonald’s Chicken Selects contain 380 calories, but the 10-piece serving has 1,270 calories — more than half the calories most of us need for an entire day.

This is something that chain restaurants can do. And they should. People who eat in such places tend to be heavier than people who don’t, and the chains’ pricing strategies often encourage customers to choose larger portions.

The challenge is to deal with fancier restaurants that typically change their menus all the time. Computing calories would be truly impossible for such places. In them, you are on your own. You won’t know how many calories you are eating but it’s a good guess that they are higher than you can possibly imagine. A tablespoon of butter or olive oil contains 100 calories or more, and these add up quickly, especially with the enormous portions typical today. In nonchains, your only caloric recourse is to eat less.

I can’t think of a better or more practical way to teach people about calories in food than to list them right next to the prices. If restaurant companies really want consumers to be healthier and to make better food choices, they should support both the banning of trans fats and the listing of calories, in New York and across the country.

Marion Nestle, a professor of food studies and public health at New York University, is the author of “What to Eat.”

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company

Source

[Lewis 0]

"You might think twice about asking a Starbucks barista to make you a venti Caffè Mocha with breve milk and whipped cream if you knew it contained 770 calories, one-third of the daily calories needed by an average adult."

Whoa, had no idea! good article