If calorie counts for restaurant menu items were posted, would it change what you ordered? A new study finds it just might be what you need to make healthier choices… or order smaller portions.
Researchers surveyed more than 7,000 customers who ate at 11 randomly selected fast-food chains. Their average meal was 827 calories. And for one-third of them, it was 1,000 calories or more!
But the survey shows customers who went to Subway restaurants - where they could see calorie information before they ordered - picked food with an average of 52 fewer calories than those who didn’t know what they were getting.
The researchers say fast-food chains should display calorie information prominently to help customers make informed choices. The study is in the American Journal of Public Health.
Just how clueless are people about restaurant calories? A new poll from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) shows fewer than 15 percent of 900 New Yorkers asked could correctly guess the highest or lowest-calorie menu items at chain restaurants in the survey.
“Most fast food isn’t exactly health food, but the calories can range from modest to astronomical,” says CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan. “Even professional dietitians get it wrong when they see the food right in front of them. Without nutrition information it’s near impossible to make informed choices.”
Personally, I like knowing how many calories I’m getting when I eat out. Except for maybe once in awhile when I splurge on a yummy dessert and would rather just enjoy the moment (then make up for it the next day!). How about you? Are you more of “knowledge is power” kind of person or do you prefer “ignorance is bliss” when it comes to calories at restaurants?
Photo credit: Burger King
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Tags: calories, Center for Science in the Public Interest, fast-food, Food & Nutrition, Journal of Public Health, nutrition, restaurant calories, subway restaurants
