[kittykittycatcat]

that is a really great idea! i know if places did that here i would be way less likely to buy

[SoxFan777]

I think this is a great idea. I've personally studied nutrition a lot (not professionally, but on my own). I know a LOT of general tips (soups that you can see through are often a better choice, choose things made with whole grain, hold the mayo and cheese, etc.). However, when I WANT to splurge, I want to know how much I'm getting. I want to know if my pasta dish is an 800 calorie splurge or an 1800 calorie splurge, and this would help me. I've written to some restaurants to ask for the nutritional info and they've refused to give it to me, citing "corporate policy" on not giving out that information. HOW RUDE.

I wish Boston would do the same thing and post the nutrition content right on the menu.

Do places have to post the nutrition content for DRINKS? I wonder how many calories are in that Hurricaine from TGIFriday's, for example! NEW YORKERS, HELP US OUT. :)

[cheburashka]

I think this is an amazing idea, I wish it was implemented everywhere. Sure for those folks who already eat healthy this is nothing new ( I already know caloric information for pretty much everything off the top of my head), but for not-so-knowledable people this is great.

My mom had a heart attack and is at risk of another one. Her doctor is always on her case about her weight, but it's not enough. Whenever we go to Starbucks, we literally get into these huge arguments - about what she orders.

She likes to get 3-4 different cookies, or a cake and a cookie and a muffin + venti size frapuccino and she's looking at roughly her daily norm/intake of calories in one meal. I try to explain to her that this is not normal or healthy for your body but she never listens to me. I guess she'd rather suffer another heart attack than cut down on cookies.

I really do hope this gets implemented everywhere. Maybe if it was loud and clear, hopefully, people would start eating healthier.

[MissCreole]

I wish they had this here in the Philippines. Obesity isn't a big issue here (heck we're having a food crisis) but oh well :P

[HauteMama]

I don't think more information is ever a bad thing. If a person doesn't care, then they can look past the numbers and order whatever they want. But many other people were NOT aware of the calorie counts on dishes that otherwise did not appear to be highly caloric. Sure, cookies and cakes are expected to be high-cal, but chicken sandwiches and other things commonly viewed as "healthy" are very deceiving.

Given that more and more people are eating out more often, it usually is not a treat or a special occasion. If people are eating out at least one meal a day, then this information is very important to them.

[LVmom]

I adore this idea-I follow Weight Watchers and it would be sooo much easier this way!

[kbell]

I love this. I am more apt to frequent places that have this info available some where than to play the guessing game.

Although you may be able to use common sense for some things, marketing can be very misleading - like Dunkin Donuts promoting their multigrain bagel as healthy - it's really not much healthier than any of their other bagels with a whopping 380 cal before adding any type of topping. Add reduced fat cream cheese and now you've got a 500 cal breakfast with like 15 grams of fat!

[Lanier]

I like this idea!

Awhile ago (like 8-10 years ago) I went to the Canyon Ranch Spa in Arizona -- instead of prices on the menu, they had calories listed. They had a recommended menu and portions but you could order as much as you wanted. It was amazing and it was SO nice knowing what was going in my mouth!

[BasketballCourt]

I think it's a wonderful idea. A lot of people order, say, a salad from a restaurant thinking it's a healthy alternative. Usually those salads are loaded with calories, and people should know that before they order. Same goes for an innocent-looking muffin.

[LOREBUNDE]

I think its a great idea as sometimes I would assume I know the caloric content of an item and in this case would be totally wrong

[cheburashka]

Originally Posted by LVmom

I adore this idea-I follow Weight Watchers and it would be sooo much easier this way!

I am a life time member weight watcher and so I am always concerned about caloric content. Although Starbucks does not have a print out of the caloric contents of their foods, they have one for all their drinks. So if you just walk into Starbucks and ask for it, they should give it to you. I got mine last year ad I live in CA. It has all the drinks in all sizes and the grams of fat and fiber along with calories too. It's really helpful and you can see exactly how good or how bad some of the drinks are.

The grande fat free frapuccino is only 2 points for example, when some of the venti regular ones with flavors like mint cholocolate or strawberry cream are almost 12 points.

[lcterp]

I really wish something like this would be implemented in other places. While a lot of people don't care, a lot do. I would love to know how much things are at restaurants. Even if two choices are both not good, it would be easier to know which one won't require an extra mile on your jog that day.

[ShimmaPuff]

Originally Posted by soshesaid

I don't really understand how people can't figure out generally how many calories are in a food from knowing the ingredients; almost everything at the grocery store is labeled with nutrition information. This article is so sensationalized. Fast food is fattening! Shocking!

I don't see it as different from listing ingredients, calories, etc, on food sold in supermarkets, or fabric content on clothing.

From my perspective, it's just a question of labeling. If you are going to purchase something that will be ingested or applied to one's person, the label should tell you what you are purchasing, whether it is shampoo, a can of soup, a pair of jeans, or a cheeseburger.

I understand people who say, well, everybody should know these things.

The problem (aside from the fact that many people don't know these things) is that, as several have pointed out, it has become very popular to market food products using deliberately deceptive labels.

I think the good news for the companies is that many restaurant customers are still going to purchase the food, especially the lower priced chain restaurants located near offices.

For some people, making up a healthy lunch every day is a realistic and sustainable option and a good match for the time they have to shower and grab a nap before returning to work the next day, but for others, that restaurant lunch is going to constitute the bulk of their daily food intake, and with a limited lunch time, going to the health food place for a bowl of mung beans and shredded cabbage is not a good logistical fit.

And for the incurable optimists, who knows? Maybe some of the companies will spend some resources and come up with some lower calorie but palatable alternatives!

After all, if, as some say, it's really so quick and inexpensive and easy that we should all be doing it, for a huge corporation it oughta be a piece of cake!