Open Phones: Moment of Truth
Thursday, May 01, 2008
A federal appeals court has weighed in (pun intended, sadly) and upheld a city rule that requires chain restaurants to post calorie information. Some chains have been posting for a while; Starbucks, for example, sells an 840 calorie Strawberries & Crème Frappuccino Blended Crème without blushing. Other chains are still catching up to full disclosure.
So we want to know: Would you rather not know the calorie content of what you're eating or drinking? Or do you welcome the ruling? Did you already know that your prime rib ranchero with cheese might crack the thousand-calorie ceiling, or have you had sticker shock? Comment below!
So we want to know: Would you rather not know the calorie content of what you're eating or drinking? Or do you welcome the ruling? Did you already know that your prime rib ranchero with cheese might crack the thousand-calorie ceiling, or have you had sticker shock? Comment below!
Comments [18]
Who cares? If I want a banana nut muffin thing, I'll get it. I'm not going to lie and say all this has changed my life. People: get over yourselves. Do whatever it is you need to do w/your diet, but stop acting so smug about it.
#16 read some books by Dr. Frederic Vagnini that deal with insulin resistance and that some people's bodies can't deal with sugar. If they have any, they become obese, it is a prediabetic state.
Dr. Atkins and Dr. Vagnini are just two examples of doctor's research whom show that yes exercise is important, but if there is hormone imbalances or sugar eaten, it is like banging your head against a brick wall trying to lose weight.
#15, Katie, it might be wise to distinguish between types of fat. The vaunted "Mediterranean Diet" and the "Okinawan Diet" aren't using a lot of animal fats. Instead: Olive and other vegetable oils.
And for those concerned about insulin resistance, please bear in mind that activity level is as important, if not more, than sugar intake. Activity primes your cells to recognize and accept insulin. It's almost always forgotten in our food-obsessed discussions. But as long as we're on food: Starbucks should sell bananas, and much smaller scones. Their new multigrain "roll", kind of like an aerated cinnamon bagel without the density, probably makes more sense than the other choices, but I haven't checked the calorie count.
#14 my point exactly. Sugar is what is causing insulin resistance and obesity, not calories or fat. It's the sugar, high fructose corn syrup and other paritally hydrogenated oils.
It really depends on what the calories come from. Lowfat yogurt has a lot of sugar -- which is much worse than fat. Even organic granola bars are mostly carbs and sugars which don't burn as efficiently as protein -- or even some fat (gasp). Read the ingredients -- too much sugar and other empty calories are just not good for you.
"because healthy food does not equal comfort food."
This is not necessarily true.
If anything it's all about moderation. The callers emphasizing the content (as opposed to the calories) and portion size are right on.
It's amazing how much supposedly "healthy" crap people will eat...for instance, 100 calorie packs of processed Oreos. A lot of this stuff contains high fructose corn syrup, and that is the kiss of death.
A 400 calorie scone with natural ingredients (people, margarine is NOT a food) once in a while, or even half of one is fine in moderation.
Marty, throwing away half your food is NOT a sustainable approach to eating, despite the fact that it's an easy way to save calories. How about ordering differently or cooking at home?
how dare you throw away food, when so many go hungry just for your own diet!!!!!
Here's a wild idea - stop getting your food from Starbucks! Go to a supermarket and buy some fruits and vegetables.
Why not eat half the scone made with whole ingredients instead of the entire scone made with fake ingredients. Small portions are not utilized enough these days.
A pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle!
I have a hard time understanding why food labels are required on things you buy in stores. But these restaurants want to say that requiring them to post the same info is illegal. What was their argument? Why is this considered different from other food labeling that is required by the gov't.?
I went into Jamba Juice to have a "healthy" fruit smoothie for breakfast rather than a muffin or bagel... I turned around and walked out when I saw it was more than 800 calories!
I bought a banana instead :)
Yes i went online one day to look at the calorie count, have not had there snacks since then. well except for the days when i need some comfort food because healthy food does not equal comfort food.
I wasn't surprised by the amount of calories, but I think the focus on "counting" calories is silly...I would rather see a list of everything that is IN the foods...I think seeing all those processed ingredients would be a better deterrent than a calorie number. I think educating people about the health of natural foods would be much more productive...
I was mesmerized at Starbucks earlier this week. I had a feeling it was bad, but it's worse than I thought.
I went to Starbucks today, thinking about buying a scone. After I saw the calorie count, though, I decided to stay a little hungry. :)
I want to know! I'm still going to buy but i'll feel guilty. maybe tomorrow i'll bring lunch to work.
information = liberation
Leave a Comment
Register for your own account so you can vote on comments, save your favorites, and more. Learn more.
Please stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Names are displayed with all comments. We reserve the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the Comment Guidelines before posting. By leaving a comment, you agree to New York Public Radio's Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use.