Calories on a menu

mariaalice

Would calories on a menu make you change your choices.

It worked on me, the Wetherspoons menu has the calorie content of all the meals displayed on the menus, so I changed what I was going to have.

I think initiative's like that are far more likely to change behaviour as opposed to television advertisement telling people to change their behaviour, plus its putting the emphasis on the individual to make sensible choices.

Yeah i was thinking of getting a particular sandwich in obriens at one stage until i saw it was about 1000 cals - more, actually, iirc. So that was the end of that

Caliden

It's definitely more educational than just telling people to eat less especially when they see how many calories a regular portion of food contains.

People underestimate how many calories they're taking in yet are unable to fathom how they're not losing weight.

AnonoBoy

It worked for me once when I was going to have fish and chips until I saw that the batter was a truckload of calories so I went for a burger and chips instead which was a daycent bit less.

I knew that fish batter was high in calories already but my puny brain had forgotten it so it was nice to be reminded.

Although ironically perhaps the fish oils which I didn't consume in the end could have helped my brain function and the next time when presented with a menu that doesn't display calories I would remember that battered fish has a lorra lorra calories.

So by making the sacrifice that one time maybe I could have saved myself from making the same mistake again in a smiliar way to how they use a tiny bit of a disease in a vaccination so your body will be able to prevent you getting the full disease in the future. Of course the controversy about vaccinations still rages but I'm sure the calories on menu controversy will not be as hard fought.

Where does Jenny McCarthy stand on the issue?

stimpson

It works the opposite way for me. If I'm paying €10 for a salad and I see the steak has 3 times the calories, I'm like "fcuk that - steak please!"

Beano

AnonoBoy wrote: »

It worked for me once when I was going to have fish and chips until I saw that the batter was a truckload of calories so I went for a burger and chips instead which was a daycent bit less.

I knew that fish batter was high in calories already but my puny brain had forgotten it so it was nice to be reminded.

Although ironically perhaps the fish oils which I didn't consume in the end could have helped my brain function and the next time when presented with a menu that doesn't display calories I would remember that battered fish has a lorra lorra calories.

So by making the sacrifice that one time maybe I could have saved myself from making the same mistake again in a smiliar way to how they use a tiny bit of a disease in a vaccination so your body will be able to prevent you getting the full disease in the future. Of course the controversy about vaccinations still rages but I'm sure the calories on menu controversy will not be as hard fought.

Where does Jenny McCarthy stand on the issue?

God this post confused me. Maybe i should eat more fish?

AnonoBoy

Beano wrote: »

God this post confused me. Maybe i should eat more fish?

I'll ask Jim Carrey if that's wise and get back to you.

ColeTrain

Dominos display calories on their website per slice of pizza. To say it's shocking is an understatement but **** it's nice.

syklops

stimpson wrote: »

It works the opposite way for me. If I'm paying €10 for a salad and I see the steak has 3 times the calories, I'm like "fcuk that - steak please!"

Where are you going that you get a steak for 10 euro?

mohawk

I was in Starbucks earlier and was feeling peckish but when I saw the calories of a croissant I lost my appetite. I love calories on menus it would be great if they were everywhere.

Agricola

Yeah I find it works. Was going for something big and greasy in McDonalds once, when I saw the calorie count on the board I switched to a wrap.

suicide_circus

It does work but its annoying when you're going out to relax and enjoy some deliciousness and then you feel guilty for ordering what you want.

Sinister Kid

If I am eating out regularly, like picking a sandwich up for lunch or the likes I would take the calories in to account if they were displayed... If I was out for a nice dinner I wouldn't even look, it's a treat so I will get what I want even if there is 7 million calories

Beefy78

syklops wrote: »

Where are you going that you get a steak for 10 euro?

€9.95 on a Tuesday at The Three Tun Tavern

http://www.jdwetherspoon.ie/pdf/irish_menu.pdf

Tokyo

Agricola wrote: »

Yeah I find it works. Was going for something big and greasy in McDonalds once, when I saw the calorie count on the board I switched to a wrap.

Was going to post the same thing. McDonalds have been doing this for a while now, and I think that (a) quite a few people were surprised to see just how many calories they were taking in, and (b) it encouraged McD's to try to reduce the calorie count in their meals, and offer healthier alternatives on their menus.

shruikan2553

It makes 0 difference to me, I pay so little attention to them I couldn't tell you if places I eat at regularly have them on the menu.

I'm there to enjoy the food I want, if I wanted to be careful about what I was eating I would have stayed at home.

Schwiiing

The 'healthy' stuff in McDonalds is more than likely then most expensive to buy.

snubbleste

Sure you put 10 litres of petrol in a car..
You know it's petrol, you know how many km/l you will get
yet
...

stimpson

syklops wrote: »

Where are you going that you get a steak for 10 euro?

Wetherspoons. Steak and a pint for €12 on a Tuesday.

Or salad and a pint. But you don't win friends with salad.

stimpson

I love the fact that my Steak posts are being thanked by Beefy78

osarusan

Many many places in Japan have them. I think they are great and have made me much more aware about calories than previously, not just in a restaurant but making similar food at home.

AnonoBoy

mohawk wrote: »

I was in Starbucks earlier and was feeling peckish but when I saw the calories of a croissant I lost my appetite. I love calories on menus it would be great if they were everywhere.

I'd love if they were on roadsigns.

mariaalice

stimpson wrote: »

It works the opposite way for me. If I'm paying €10 for a salad and I see the steak has 3 times the calories, I'm like "fcuk that - steak please!"

What's happening there is the risk/balance rewards isn't working for you, in your head a steak is more that 3 times as tasty as a salad, so its not worth if for you to choose a salad.

robinph

Calories are a nonsense way of measuring the quantity of food that you are eating. It's a measure of energy in something, but has nothing to do with how good the food is for you or not.

There is 7000 calories in 1kg of coal, I'd personally rather each the pizza with extra topping though.

http://www.euronuclear.org/info/encyclopedia/coalequivalent.htm

Billy86

ColeTrain wrote: »

Dominos display calories on their website per slice of pizza. To say it's shocking is an understatement but **** it's nice.

I like pizza but Domino's is absolutely rank, in fairness. :pac:

mariaalice wrote: »

What's happening there is the risk/balance rewards isn't working for you, in your head a steak is more that 3 times as tasty as a salad, so its not worth if for you to choose a salad.

Depends on the salad, really.

Tony EH

bluewolf wrote: »

Yeah i was thinking of getting a particular sandwich in obriens at one stage until i saw it was about 1000 cals - more, actually, iirc. So that was the end of that

1000 cals in a sandwitch?

What?

WTF was in it? A whole cow?

That's half your daily calorie count (if you're female).

Billy86

Tony EH wrote: »

1000 cals in a sandwitch?

What?

WTF was in it? A whole cow?

That's half your daily calorie count (if you're female).

Check out this one which has 831 calories, you might be surprised. http://pfiesterpfit.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/schlotzkys_rf_photo_of_turkey_sandwich.jpg

kylith

Tony EH wrote: »

1000 cals in a sandwitch?

What?

WTF was in it? A whole cow?

That's half your daily calorie count (if you're female).

If it's my favourite O'Brien's sandwich I'll cry if there are that many calories in it.

mariaalice

robinph wrote: »

Calories are a nonsense way of measuring the quantity of food that you are eating. It's a measure of energy in something, but has nothing to do with how good the food is for you or not.

There is 7000 calories in 1kg of coal, I'd personally rather each the pizza with extra topping though.

http://www.euronuclear.org/info/encyclopedia/coalequivalent.htm

But I didn't say anything about the quality or nutritional value of the food its about whether seeing calories on a menu prompts them to make a different decision about what they purchases.

miezekatze

It made me change my mind in Starbucks a few times. It's shocking how high in calories some of their drinks are, but I guess a lot of them are very sugary and milky. I think it's a good thing anyway to have this information.

DoYouEvenLift

As long as they actually include what the calories are and how many grammes of each there are then definitely, this is especially helpful for athletes and health enthusiasts who weigh and maintain certain amounts of carbs, proteins and fats in their diets.



Another possible surprise for anyone who thinks salds with sauce are the healthier option, lots of the sauces and flavourings you can put on salds are very calorie dense, usually simple carbs/sugars

davidm20

robinph wrote: »

Calories are a nonsense way of measuring the quantity of food that you are eating. It's a measure of energy in something, but has nothing to do with how good the food is for you or not.

There is 7000 calories in 1kg of coal, I'd personally rather each the pizza with extra topping though.

http://www.euronuclear.org/info/encyclopedia/coalequivalent.htm

Is it only me or does anyone else have a sudden urge to head home and lick some coal....I know I probably shouldn't but....

dudara

It definitely has an impact on day to day eating. It's stopped me from ordering the extra milky coffee in Starbucks on more than a few occasions, plus made me switch to a "lighter" sweet option.

End of day, we still have to take responsibility, but the calorie counts can help you choose. Ultimately though, if I want a big dirty bag of chips that bad, I'll still have them.

robinph

mariaalice wrote: »

But I didn't say anything about the quality or nutritional value of the food its about whether seeing calories on a menu prompts them to make a different decision about what they purchases.

I'd be more interested in the actual contents of the food in proper terms that mean something, like the carbs, protien etc.

Calories mean nothing on food. The calories of butter or bread or bacon or coke are all completely different so cannot be compared by such a measure.

DoYouEvenLift

robinph wrote: »

Calories are a nonsense way of measuring the quantity of food that you are eating. It's a measure of energy in something, but has nothing to do with how good the food is for you or not.

There is 7000 calories in 1kg of coal, I'd personally rather each the pizza with extra topping though.

http://www.euronuclear.org/info/encyclopedia/coalequivalent.htm

Lol, what? So give a better alternative? Calories can signify how good the food is for you when you choose to avoid foods that are higher in simple carbs than complex carbs and saturated and trans fats than healthy fats and protein content.

robinph

DoYouEvenLift wrote: »

Lol, what? So give a better alternative? Calories can signify how good the food is for you when you choose to avoid foods that are higher in simple carbs than complex carbs and saturated and trans fats than healthy fats and protein content.

Well that is the useful information to be listing then, not the calories which really mean nothing as far as food is concerned.

mariaalice

robinph wrote: »

Well that is the useful information to be listing then, not the calories which really mean nothing as far as food is concerned.

You see this is the bit where I go yawn and get turned off, its not good enough to list calories on menu they should have all that stuff as well and we should all be bringing calculators to with us and work it all out before we buy anything!!! I don't really think about what I eat but it did prompt me to make different choice when I realised how much calories was in what I was going to get, now I didn't feel deprived with my new choice it was just as tasty.

DoYouEvenLift

robinph wrote: »

Well that is the useful information to be listing then, not the calories which really mean nothing as far as food is concerned.

Yeah, like in the other post I made I'm all for it being on menus as long as detailed nutritional content is given but it's all relevant and goes together. Like if I have a set diet where I have x g's of carbs, y g's of protein and z g's of fats and they all add up to 2,500 calories per day but some days I can't be bothered counting my carbs/protein/fats so I just make sure I still hit my total calories for the day to maintain my goals in weight gain or loss.

mariaalice wrote: »

You see this is the bit where I go yawn and get turned off, its not good enough to list calories on menu they should have all that stuff as well and we should all be bringing calculators to with us and work it all out before we buy anything!!! I don't really think about what I eat but it did prompt me to make different choice when I realised how much calories was in what I was going to get, now I didn't feel deprived with my new choice it was just as tasty.

Eh, why would you need to bring a calculator to do simple maths?

Beefy78

robinph wrote: »

Well that is the useful information to be listing then, not the calories which really mean nothing as far as food is concerned.

How would you put that on a 100-item long menu though?

Calories are fine for the little nod towards discouraging an unhealthy lifestyle that this move is supposed to be helping with.

AndonHandon

If it looks nice but is low in calories I know it won't fill me. Chicken dishes are the worst for that; chicken is such an unsubstantial filler.

Dravokivich

I dont pay attentiin to the calories if provided on a menu. Im not on a strict quota that I have to adhere to. If yer eating out, enjoy it.

DoYouEvenLift

Beefy78 wrote: »

How would you put that on a 100-item long menu though?

Calories are fine for the little nod towards discouraging an unhealthy lifestyle that this move is supposed to be helping with.

Yeah, bigger menus would be impossible to have all the info but they could easily have the information available on their websites or leaflets on counters or tables.

robinph

mariaalice wrote: »

You see this is the bit where I go yawn and get turned off, its not good enough to list calories on menu they should have all that stuff as well and we should all be bringing calculators to with us and work it all out before we buy anything!!! I don't really think about what I eat but it did prompt me to make different choice when I realised how much calories was in what I was going to get, now I didn't feel deprived with my new choice it was just as tasty.

I need to know how many carbs are in everything I eat, but knowing the number of calories doesn't tell me anything useful at all.

Tony EH

Tony EH wrote: »

1000 cals in a sandwitch?

What?

WTF was in it? A whole cow?

That's half your daily calorie count (if you're female).

I can't find where it was
It MAY have been the "all day eggworks" bagel
so
http://www.obriens.ie/pdf/obriens-calorie-counter.pdf
bagel 260
egg 120
dairy spread? 54
sausage 269
bacon 61
cheese 159

so that's 923 and im sure there's more i forgot

Dravokivich

robinph wrote: »

I need to know how many carbs are in everything I eat, but knowing the number of calories doesn't tell me anything useful at all.

Aye, all you are doing is giving a value for "x" but not showing what "x" is.

Beefy78

robinph wrote: »

I need to know how many carbs are in everything I eat, but knowing the number of calories doesn't tell me anything useful at all.

And other people don't.

Murray007

The only time I ate in a restaurant with calories on the menu I realised that my starter and mains choices where the first and second highest calorie count on the menu. I decided on a mid range main only and felt satisfied after the meal.

It works - I for one would vote for it to be compulsory on menu's.

Dravokivich

Beefy78 wrote: »

And other people don't.

Calories itself doesnt make sense though. If you want to lose weight, you need to watch your carb intake. If you want to increase weight, you should proiritise protein.

AlexisM

Sometimes you're better off not knowing. On holidays in the US I love eating in the Cheesecake Factory - but I discovered (it's unsurprisingly not listed on the menu...) that my favourite main course pasta had 2,200 calories!!! And that would be after a starter and the inevitable cheesecake...

barry181091

bluewolf wrote: »

I can't find where it was
It MAY have been the "all day eggworks" bagel
so
http://www.obriens.ie/pdf/obriens-calorie-counter.pdf
bagel 260
egg 120
dairy spread? 54
sausage 269
bacon 61
cheese 159

so that's 923 and im sure there's more i forgot

Bagels are f***ing cat for calories. I can't eat them, its like I am eating 10 slices of bread, mechanically compressed into a rough burger shape. Just seems to expand 10 times in my stomach and make me feel like sh1te!

AnonoBoy

Dravokivich wrote: »

Calories itself doesnt make sense though

It's a rough guide for us food thickos.

Baby steps.