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But a recent gigantor study in New York City found that posted calorie counts do make a difference to about one in six customers—those who actually pay attention to the calorie counts. Those who do tend to order about 100 fewer calories.
I don't know about you, but it matters if the calorie count is glaring at me right from the place I order. Since I was a young sprout, restaurants have had calorie information on websites, wall-displayed charts, and pamphlets you can request. But it's only in the last few years that restaurants have put the counts right there on the menus. Once you see that the bowl of chili is 380 calories, and the bowl of chili with cheese, sour cream, and bread is 680, it messes with your head. Even if you ordered the cheese-topped chili anyway you wouldn't be able to enjoy it.
Am I wrong? Plus—and this is really weird—I find I'm less likely to eat at restaurants that have calorie information on the menu. I haven't been to Chevys (a Mexican chain) since I realized that even the "healthy" burrito I was in the habit of ordering had somewhere in the region of 1,000 calories. Yet I've been to a million other Mexican restaurants since, and happily ordered carnitas and guacamole as far as the eye can see.
What about you?
Image source: CHOW.com
I personally love when restaurants post calorie counts for exactly the reason mentioned in the article; it makes me question whether I really need that extra cheese and bread, or whether I'd be better off without the calories. I'm not hugely overweight but I tend to hover a few pounds heavier than I'd like to be, and it's a huge help to have some incentive NOT to order the extra...+READ
I personally love when restaurants post calorie counts for exactly the reason mentioned in the article; it makes me question whether I really need that extra cheese and bread, or whether I'd be better off without the calories. I'm not hugely overweight but I tend to hover a few pounds heavier than I'd like to be, and it's a huge help to have some incentive NOT to order the extra cheese/pepperoni/etc. that adds up over time. I don't see why having additional information available should ever be an issue - if you don't want to know or just don't care, don't look!-COLLAPSE
I hate that restaurants now display the calories of each sinful item. Even if it's just fast food, the fact that in this economy I'm eating out, is a treat. It ruins my treat to me when I see the calories glaringly posted by the menu item. I am not over weight and I don't want to know. Also I don't see overweight people pouring over their caloric options. They usually order the same old, same...+READ
I hate that restaurants now display the calories of each sinful item. Even if it's just fast food, the fact that in this economy I'm eating out, is a treat. It ruins my treat to me when I see the calories glaringly posted by the menu item. I am not over weight and I don't want to know. Also I don't see overweight people pouring over their caloric options. They usually order the same old, same old.-COLLAPSE
I usually know how bad something is for me, but if I want it I order it anyway. That said, my house is full of health food and I rarely eat out places where I'd be horrified by the stats, but because it is rare enough, I don't feel bad getting something awful. Or I'll choose something slightly less awful, or I'll share. I like calorie counts because I like to know what I'm putting in my body.
I do very similar things when I see calorie counts and I hate it. So, I avoid calorie counts. I think it destroys common sense and portion control. Eat what you want, just eat less. Always find a vegetable. Stop when your full. And of course if you cover something in cheese and sour cream, it's NOT going to be good for you. When you eat foods that are high in fat and low in protein, its going to...+READ
I do very similar things when I see calorie counts and I hate it. So, I avoid calorie counts. I think it destroys common sense and portion control. Eat what you want, just eat less. Always find a vegetable. Stop when your full. And of course if you cover something in cheese and sour cream, it's NOT going to be good for you. When you eat foods that are high in fat and low in protein, its going to take you longer to get full. It's too bad that a lot of people don't really understand how that relationship works.-COLLAPSE
Pie of unknown calories in the sky. People will always eat what they want to eat, or punish themselves and eat food they hate but which they believe to be virtuous.
I worry that some people read these signs and think about how to get the MOST calories for the least money, and in that way it backfires.
Counting calories is the only way to deal with weight. One beer = 150 calories.Burn it off by running a mile and a half = 150 calories.
As the child of a dietician, my problem has never been a case of 'not knowing' what is and isn't good for me. So for me, when I have a layover in one of the New York airports, when I see the calorie count of an item, it completely impacts how I order. For me, it's not just about the lowest calorie item - but then I also begin to weigh the choices of protein and carbs and fiber in an item.
But...+READ
As the child of a dietician, my problem has never been a case of 'not knowing' what is and isn't good for me. So for me, when I have a layover in one of the New York airports, when I see the calorie count of an item, it completely impacts how I order. For me, it's not just about the lowest calorie item - but then I also begin to weigh the choices of protein and carbs and fiber in an item.
But I'd argue that my behavior has far more to do with how I was raised and what triggers my "good eating". Like the author, I will also happily go into a Texican Mexican burrito place and decide that not eating the tortilla is a healthy enough move and not be overly bothered by the rest.-COLLAPSE
I know but I don't care. My guts hurt all the time, I'm lucky if I feel like eating at all these days or moving. I woke up and my left side of my stomach burned for no reason. It's been going on for five months with no reason and hardly any reason. So yes I'm getting that burger. It might be the only thing I eat that day.
I find calorie counts most useful for calibrating my intuition regarding restaurant dishes. Quite often I look at the larger counts and I honestly have trouble figuring out just how they get that many calories into a single serving of something. It's also good for correctly ranking food by calorie content.
We tend to assume that things like a soup and sandwich are going to be more healthy than...+READ
I find calorie counts most useful for calibrating my intuition regarding restaurant dishes. Quite often I look at the larger counts and I honestly have trouble figuring out just how they get that many calories into a single serving of something. It's also good for correctly ranking food by calorie content.
We tend to assume that things like a soup and sandwich are going to be more healthy than the burger and fries, or the bagel is better for us than the doughnut. But sometimes that the Big Mac and Fries isn't too bad a choice calorie wise when compared to something that sounds nominally better but really isn't, like a stuffed falafal pita with potato wedges on the side.
A lot of the time when I see nutrition analysis of restaurant meals, particularly those that use McDonalds as a bench-mark, my conclusion is that next time I'm grabbing a quick lunch, I might as well go straight for the Big Mac rather than trying to fool myself.-COLLAPSE
Oh it totally works. I used to get a Jumbo Jack at Jack in the Box until I read it is 500 calories. I got the hamburger deluxe instead which is only 350 calories. Oddly, their web site says they are 492/338 but close enough, I guess.
I might take note of calorie information if it is available, but it won't affect my order. I'm going out to eat for a reason, to enjoy a meal, and I am responsible for stopping when I've had enough. Just because only 1 in 6 change their order doesn't mean only 1 in 6 are paying attention.
Know what would be awesome? If I could get magically fully when I hit 2000 calories. As is, many of us have associated volume with fullness, so I think glaring calorie reminders can only do us good.
I used to get baked goods from Starbucks about once per week as a "treat." I would never have estimated how many calories were in my scrumptious snack and I have now stopped buying them. There is the inverse, I once went into a dunkin donuts resolved to get a 'healthier' bagel instead of a doughnut. Turns out my favorite guilty pleasure (boston creme) was less calories than one of their gigantic...+READ
I used to get baked goods from Starbucks about once per week as a "treat." I would never have estimated how many calories were in my scrumptious snack and I have now stopped buying them. There is the inverse, I once went into a dunkin donuts resolved to get a 'healthier' bagel instead of a doughnut. Turns out my favorite guilty pleasure (boston creme) was less calories than one of their gigantic bagels before it even saw any cream cheese.-COLLAPSE