A question of calories

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Posted at 11:30AM, 04 August 2009 by Anna Helm - New York-based food writer

It's 8am and you're late for work again. No time to sit down with a pot of tea and toast so you decide to dash into Starbucks and pick up a muffin and milky coffee on your way to the Tube.

Oh, and that double mocha latte shows more calories than a Big Mac

As you wait in the queue, you promise yourself to stick with the plan and order the healthy muffin despite the tempting case of pastries and biscuits. Only, as you get closer you notice labels reading 350 calories, 510 calories, 600 calories, 730 calories. That tiny little muffin that doesn't even fill you up has 600 calories in it! Oh, and that double mocha latte you had on your mind shows more calories than a Big Mac. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.

Would seeing these labels make you think twice? Would you order the chocolate chip cookie labelled as 80 calories and a black coffee with only 5 instead?

Mike Bloomberg, New York City's Mayor, certainly hopes so. A calorie labelling law went into effect in New York City in July of last year and you can now see how many calories are in your afternoon treat in over 2,000 chain restaurants. Many salads that were once seen as the nutritious lunch choice have been knocked off menus having revealed calories in the thousands! After all, how many people would choose a McDonalds Garden salad when a large portion of French fries has fewer calories?

It's certainly one way of dealing with an obesity epidemic affecting over 30% of American adults. But will it make a difference or will it backfire?

In Dunkin' Donuts, a glazed doughnut is listed as containing 200 calories, whereas a wholewheat bagel has 310. To a nutritionist, the bagel is the better option, but many are now put off from seeing the extra calories and opt for the lower calorie doughnut. There are now talks of listing more nutritional information such as fat content, but for now the law only includes calories.

How would you feel if the UK passed the same law? Would you ever order a muffin from Starbucks again?

Comments

1-20 of 23 comments

jenny

4 August, 1:12PM
jenny

having read an experience of an american who is recovering from anorexia, it worries me, showed me how much more difficult it made her choose what she actually wanted rather that what she thought she should eat. they think it it will help with obesity which it might but what about those it will severely hinder. i have enough trouble deciding what to choose, i don't want to sit staring at a menu of numbers, no being able to order because i'm phased by figures!

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schubun

4 August, 3:31PM
schubun

I think it's going to become a case of 'drowning in too much information' reading a menu will become like reading the daily broadsheets! As long as people are sensible about what they eat and adopt the 'everything in moderation' mantra and take as much exercise as possible then the calorie numbers shouldn't be as frightening. I'm in no way a gym bunny and love my desserts and speacial treat foods but try hard to limit these as much as possible.

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Vic

4 August, 4:13PM
Vic

I saw this for the first time last year in a Starbucks in NYC - I knew those cakes and shakes must be calorific, but they were higher even than I'd expected. So yes, in that exact situation, where it's a straightforward choice of to have cake or not - it did, and would, put me off.

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Nicola

4 August, 4:25PM
Nicola

Hmm, yeah...true about the anorexia comment above. My sister has suffered with eating disorders and something like that would probably make visits to such places either an absolute nightmare, or not even possible. For myself, I know that these things are (very) high in calories and that they should only be for an occassional treat. I dont need to know exactly how many calories are in them. I think a more proactive approach to the obesity problem would be to improve health and nutrition education in schools and also for adults to help people make informed choices...

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Jane Helm

4 August, 8:11PM
Jane Helm

It's an interesting question. We did just that at Dunkin donuts the other day, when stuck at an airport tired and hungry. We picked a bagel instead of a donut thinking it would be better for us, and more filling, and so I was horrified to see it has way more calories than a donut. It has quite put me off bagels, they aren't that worth it, though my companion was happy to finish it off for me!

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CAROLINE PRICE

4 August, 9:49PM
CAROLINE PRICE

I think it's a mistake to put the number of calories on everything if it means you eat something less nutritional just because it has less calories. If you base your diet on calories alone you could have a day's allowance from junk food and drink. I take plenty of exercise and I eat when I'm hungry. I like to eat healthy food and calories don't really bother me although they did when I was a teenager. "Everything in moderation" and "a little bit of everything does you good" are mottos taught me by my father. The important thing is to eat a varied diet and an occasional treat shouldn't do you any harm however many calories it contains.

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Alec

5 August, 3:25AM
Alec

I think this is a genius idea. Anything that gets people thinking more about the calories they consume is worthwhile. America has a major obesity problem which is already costing millions to deal with (worryingly the UK is catching up, I'm sure I read somewhere that Scotland has a higher child obesity rate than the US??).

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DonnyB

5 August, 3:30AM
DonnyB

The only people who are going to take any notice of calorie listings are the people who are already eating sensibly. If you're intent on having a Big Mac Super sized meal, then you're not going to be put off by the calorie listing. The vast majority of people know this stuff is bad for them, they just want to ignore it.

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Jon

5 August, 7:34AM
Jon

I have yet to stop eating Big Mac's even though I know how many calories they have in them. I honestly couldn't give a fig. List the information, people will still eat what they want to.

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kateab

5 August, 11:05AM
kateab

I dont think it is a bad thing. It does need to perhaps include information about fat and sugar too because lowest calories isn't always the best option. But people have been labouring under the misapprehension for years that salads covered in dressings are healthy when they are very calorific and that a coffee and muffin is better than a full English when often it's not. It might also encourage the retailers to provide more healthy options for their customers which people will actually buy.

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fallwitch

5 August, 12:29PM
fallwitch

I agree with those who feel it's information overload. As an American, I'm getting rather tired of the government taking away personal responsibility from people. If you walk into that McDonald's, you know full well that what you're eating is bad for you and, if you continue to eat it and get sick or fat or unhealthy, well, you made that choice. You could have spent your money elsewhere. Food is meant to be enjoyed and bad food can be enjoyed in moderation. It's when people get lazy or don't do the research themselves that they fall victim to their desires.

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CharLit

5 August, 1:03PM
CharLit

Maybe an overall health rating per product would be more helpful - something that takes into account not only calories, but also sugar, saturated and transfats, and also the good stuff - vitamins, minerals, fibre, etc.

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SimoneM

5 August, 4:28PM
SimoneM

An interesting idea that seems to have incensed the restaurant industry in NY. If a supermarket is required to show nutritional information on a chicken tikka masala ready meal, why not an indian restaurant too? I agree with a lot of the other comments above though - if people don't really know what it all means, and aren't educated around the importance of eating a balanced diet, then what's the point? I think Bloomberg has a bigger issue to tackle than calorie counting is going to solve.

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Pricey

5 August, 4:48PM
Pricey

I think it would be more helpful to educate people about what they should eat than to scare them off eating perfectly healthy food. I wonder how long it'll be before we get the same kind of legislation in the UK.

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poppysuze

6 August, 7:43AM
poppysuze

I agree with Pricey`s comments. I eat healthily, 5 a day, low fat diet and if ocassionally I want to indulge myself why not, moderation is the key!

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miniminx

6 August, 3:03PM
miniminx

if there's going to be labelling, i agree with CharLit. calories aren't the whole story. so yes, the bagel may have more calories but it's better for you in the long run (more nutrients etc). but overall what a complete killjoy......how much more can you cram on those tiny labels after the ingredients, organic status, ethical status, and nutritional breakdown is included? all important stuff, but bleugh...let them eat cake!

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ladyliberty

7 August, 1:29AM
ladyliberty

Information overload and too much government involvement in my opinion. I think a person is responsible for his or her own dietary decisions. Isn't it common knowledge that a jelly filled doughnut is bad for you? Sure, have it every once in awhile but not five per day.

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Oli dude

7 August, 3:30PM
Oli dude

I think it is a case of MODERATION and Balance, and on occasion it is good to have a treat but i do agree that we should be careful. What we must realise is that we shouldn't only be looking at calories, what about sugar, fat, starch.I believe it is not just calorie watching which is important , it is watching everything, MODERATION!!

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littlestrad15

7 August, 5:08PM
littlestrad15

I would go for the bagel, i know it might have more calories then a mini dougnout, but the bagel is bigger, more filling, more healthy then the dougnout, the dougnout is like 'empty calories'. I think it is wrong that they only show the calories and not the fat content because i find that the fat content could do u more harm then the calorie content and the dougnout would defo have a higher fat content then the bagel. I totally agree with the moderation saying, and yes i agree with oli dude, we should take in acount most things like suger, fat, calories. BUT things that are high in fat, suger and things that we can't resist in MODERATION, every now and then won't hurt (as my mum keeps on telling me).

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Polly

8 August, 7:30AM
Polly

Part of me agrees with the "drowning in too much info" and the anorexia post but being an older lady who is trying to lose some weight I find the info helpfull, I think the key is moderation, I eat to live not live to eat

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