Calories on the menu - just why?

[Figmentofmyimagination]

Visited pizza express last night to catch up with a girlfriend - first visit since pre pandemic. Ordered my favourite fiorentina pizza with spinach and egg but my enjoyment was somewhat diminished by reading the 950 calorie count on the menu. I understand that this is the law now. Who decided that this is a good idea? Absolutely crazy.

I think it’s a good idea. In the past eating out was an occasional treat and still is for many but for others it’s a daily occurrence. Look around, so many people are carrying a lot of extra weight. It’s a shock to see the calories and maybe a good shock.

when you go to a restaurant, surely you are there as an adult, to have a relaxed time, not to be policed like a child. If you really want to know the calorie count of your pizza, you can just look it up on your phone

I don't understand this, no one is policing you! That's a projection you are making. Having a tiny number printed next to each item on the menu that the majority of people still aren't even going to look at is not policing people! We need to be a bit less fragile than this tbh.

I'm on the fence. Had a meal out last week and was looking at the dessert menu. The thing i wanted was 575 calories so i just got a cup of tea instead. Good for me that i didn't eat all those extra unnecessary calories after an already calorific meal but bad for the restaurant because they lost out on money.

@PatientlyWaiting21

I’d rather see how much much protein, fibre and carbs are within each meal, not the calories, macros info would be so much more useful!

I would ideally want all the info, but I understand it may be complicated and take space on the menu.

Because maybe it stops people overeating? I used to sometimes on a gluttonous day get a extra side (cheeseburger or mozzarella sticks) with a McDonald's meal. Now I see the extra 3-5 hundred calories that means I don't.

I’ve worked out my TDEE( total daily energy expenditure) at 5ft 5 and it was about 1450 with with moderate activity. This 2000 cal theory is nonsense for most women.

I rarely eat out so when I do I don't want to know the calories as it puts me off. I'm always dieting so when I do go for a meal I'm going to eat what I want. It's good if you're eating out every night, but most people don't.

"a green bean dish it was over a 1,000 calories"

Wow. green beans cooked in a sea of oil or something?
Shows why this is helpful.

I’m glad they do it! Otherwise I might not know what I’m consuming.

How else can we stop getting overweight and uncomfortable?

We need to normalise what we’re eating and not just hide it. You still wanted to eat it right? Good! If it makes you think carefully about what you then eat later, also good!

If calories on menus is triggering for people with EDs, why not calories on supermarket food? They are. Which is why some people will eat the same ‘safe’ foods every day for long periods of time.

I think they've been on McDonalds' menus for a long time. At least I have an idea in my head that a filet o'fish is 300 something.

Yes they have and they also make it obvious how screwed up pricing is influencing peoples food choices. Since McDs introduced calories on the menu, I've chosen small fries instead of medium. But you can't have small fries as part of the meal deal, so they effectively cost extra for less calories. Dominos also have similar pricing issue re their smallest pizza size.
Tesco's dine in for 2, you have to choose a sweet, you can't pick another side such as a veg. There are lots more examples.

I find it useful because I calorie count.
I can’t get upset about it, there’s so much worse to worry about.

@Topseyt

As the parent of a nearly adult DD who grapples with an eating disorder, I really wish this had never been mandated.

If your daughter has an ED then she is already calculating menu calories in her head.

I think they should make menus with a little flap so you can hide the calories if you want.

Restaurants have made portions bigger and bigger because it doesn't cost them much and makes people think they are getting better value. Then people get their idea of portion size from what they are given when eating out, and do the same at home.

Maybe this will help to push portion size back the other way.

Really it's a tip of the iceberg, it's almost cost-free for the chains so looks like the government is doing something when really it's tiptoeing around the problem. I'd quite like to see restaurants be required to provide 400 calorie versions of their meals as well as the usual sizes.

Can someone explain why it’s so bad for people with ED please?

My friend with an ED just doesn’t eat very much. She’s just scared of food full stop. But she knows an apple has less calories than a slice of pizza already. I can’t see how knowing more specifically is any worse.

"It's an estimate, everyone is different and you can work out your own. I need 1650 to lose weight, 2000 to maintain. So it's accurate in my case."

You mean you've done a calculator thin online or you've really seen that you don't put on weight at 2k calories?
Tim Spector used proper equipment to find his and it was 1600 if I remember correctly.

It stopped me ordering something last week and I made a healthier i choice so I think it’s a great idea. Very difficult for people with an ED but I’m guessing there are far more obese people so this change will help the majority.

@PineappleMojito

Nutrition is more than just calories. Calories are only part of the picture. I don’t see this as a helpful intervention particularly for those with ED issues.

I disagree. Body nutrition is a balance between the food that we eat and the calories our bodies need to function properly.

Generally, our societies are getting fatter. We eat too much take away food often with too many calories while we exercise little compared to the calories consumed.

Calorie value of what we are consuming in the menu is information. If you don't care, you will shrug your shoulders. But some people who won't know how much calories are in a pizza will notice and change their order.

It's all what it is, information to consumers. Some will take it, some will leave it.

"I've recently lost a bit of weight, and I've never counted a calorie in my life. I simply eat a bit less."

But that doesn't work for everyone because eating less might not give them enough food so they have to cut the calories.

YANBU

As someone who had an eating disorder it worries me that this will lead onto more people having eating disorders.

Even now I like to calorie count as I like to be in control but if you’re going out for a meal or getting a takeaway it’s because it’s a special treat and you know it’s going to be very high in calories but you don’t care as it’s a special occasion - that occasion could be ruined if you’re stressed about eating something you know you shouldn’t be.

Unless you’ve struggled with your weight or an eating disorder, I don’t think people can grasp what eating is like.
I think we need to normalise eating healthy every day and allowing ourselves treats without the guilt.

Also calories are important but so is proper nutrition and we seem to focus more on calories and cutting out carbs, sugar, fat etc then actually what food is more nutritious for our bodies.

@Furrbabymama87

I rarely eat out so when I do I don't want to know the calories as it puts me off. I'm always dieting so when I do go for a meal I'm going to eat what I want. It's good if you're eating out every night, but most people don't.

I still don't get this mind set, even as someone with a history of disordered eating all along the spectrum.

You can still eat what you want. If you have a night of not caring about calories, it doesn't matter whether the calories are printed on the menu or not.

If you want to have a treat night and order a large pizza, starters and chocolate cake for dessert you know that's going to be loads of calories regardless of if someone tells you the explicit value. So why is it important to prioritise people who don't want to know their calories consumed over people who do. If you don't you just ignore it, if you do, then it's a hundred times more convenient.

I saw a study on tv where takeaway shops put calories on their menus and most people didn’t choose not to eat takeaway but they chose better calorie options. I would to and welcome them.

"it worries me that this will lead onto more people having eating disorders."

So you're against any kind of calorie counting?

" if you’re going out for a meal or getting a takeaway it’s because it’s a special treat "

It really isn't for everyone. If people only eat out on birthdays and Christmas most restaurants and takeaways would shut down.

I think it's good. I like that pizza too and it is no wonder I struggle to finish it at that many calories! I hope it means that restaurants will moderate portion sizes a bit. Often they are far too big.

I think it’s a really good thing. We have an obesity crisis in this country.

It made me switch to a leggera pizza the other day in Pizza Express. And we went to a pub for lunch last week and were slightly horrified at the number of calories in some of the dishes.