August 8, 2010

Calorie Counts On Menus Are Usually Ignored

Apparently the recent healthcare legislation forces to put calorie counts on the menus, and it turns out that isn’t doing any good whatsoever!   Some cities recently have adopted this behavior, and the healthcare reform legislation passed this spring forces with more than 20 locations to post calorie counts on the menu. The theory behind this regulation is that if people have easy access to the information, they’ll make more informed decisions.

The problem with this approach is that many people “turn the brain off” when they eat out, or they eat out with the intention of it being a break from their diet. Recent studies of restaurant sales before and after the change show people aren’t making different choices.   We’ve previously discussed secrets to losing weight while eating restaurant food. The takeaway from that post is to make healthier choices about which to visit and what foods to eat.

The simple truth is that are by nature going to serve fatty dishes for one of several reasons. As you’ve probably noticed when shopping for groceries, the better ingredients are more expensive. Plus, fattening foods have actually been proven to be chemically addictive, and if these companies are anything like the cigarette companies, they may not be above using that fact to their advantage to get you to come back. Serving size, meanwhile, is simply a revenue-boosting technique: if you get more, you’ll be willing to pay more. So you should be conscious of the fact that most restaurant portions are really 2 or 3 servings, and bring half of what you get home!

To truly remain in control when eating out, we recommend you use your smartphone!

Several companies are currently offering iPhone calorie counting apps.  These apps can help you with the info for 400,000+ restaurant dishes while you’re out and about. Using your smartphone relieves you of any need to get that info online before you leave the office or the house, so isn’t that how it’s supposed to be? Now you can have the info needed to make smart choices.

So you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want to know how to get a flat stomach.  Americans are overweight in tremendous numbers—2/3 of us are overweight or actually obese, so it’s truly a modern day epidemic and you’re definitely NOT alone in wanting to shape up. You have to resist the urge to splurge—restaurant dishes with only some exceptions are ridiculously fattening and unhealthy, so you have to approach the occasional meal out as working with an adversary. Take the time to be diligent, because they are NOT out to help you stay healthy.

 

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