Page 255 - How to Be a Conscious Eater - Making Food Choices That Are Good for You

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THE CASE FOR

CALORIE LABELING

fter nearly a decade of hullabaloo among legislators and
lobbyists, consumer rights advocates and nutritionists,
Acalorie labeling is now the law of the land in the United
States—at least for chain restaurants, movie theaters, and
other places like convenience stores and vending machines
that have twenty or more outlets. Research shows that when
eating out compared with at home, we’re more likely to overeat,
consume less nutritious food, and misjudge calorie content. No
question: All of these realities gradually and collectively con-
tribute to the Mayday-level obesity situation we’re in—and to
the many diet-related chronic diseases that come with it, from
high blood pressure to type 2 diabetes.
The unfortunate news is that putting calorie counts on
menus only sort of helps. And not everyone, not by that much,
not all the time.
That said, with the severity of the health crisis upon us,
any measure found to help some people make some positive
dent can be quite valuable. For instance, in one study in New
York City, only 15 percent of fast food customers used menu
labels at all. But those who did ordered about 100 fewer calo-
ries for their fast food lunch meal. Which is huge, because the
Center for Science in the Public Interest tells us that the whole
enchilada of the obesity epidemic is made up of a 200-calorie
surplus per person per day (on average). The people in the New
York City study would be halfway there.

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