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.

@Amdone123

Yes I agree with what you've said. However most people I know, including myself just want to be slim and look good. Yes it's good to feel healthy, but it's primarily because we want to look thin.

My understanding was that most obesity and type 2 diabetes is because the body can no longer 'see' leptin, and so converts calories to fat (subcutaneous and, more critically, fat around the liver) and that this is caused mostly by the sugars (glucose, sucrose, fructose, corn syrup, palm oils,) present in refined foods. So wouldn't it be more sensible to show sugars and refined carbs?

But, generally, I"m in favour of these sort of information initiatives. So many foods and drinks are really calorie dense, and people are just really, really unaware and busy. If the information encourages you to grab water and fruit from Prets rather than a frappacino and a muffin, then that's to the good, isn't it?

@TibetanTerrah because like I've said they should have two menus available. So that this change doesn't cause people to relapse or feel unable to recover. So you know, they don't die.

I'll survive it, but it's upsetting. And since when did we sacrifice 12% of people and possibly worsen the NHS crisis by plumbing relapses and worsening symptoms into ED wards just because we don't want to print two sets of menus?

Honestly, it will make no difference to me at all. I eat out for the treat and indulgence of it. I know fine well I'm going over my fat and calorie count and don't care - I throw caution (and nutrition) to the wind! I just eat lighter the next day rather than getting obsessed with the exact numbers.

Broadly speaking, I think it's a reasonable move although understanding

the fat/protein/carb/fibre contents would be better. Would I find it useful? Possibly, in that if I were deciding between two dishes, I would choose the lower calorie option. However I'm 65 and my metabolism has slowed right down.

It seems to be a really fifty fifty spilt between those who find it helpful and those that don’t. I suppose I’m also averse to the nanny statism of it. Good to know if I just go to my local place I can avoid it and enjoy my meal without placing a value on it other then the experience of enjoying the food.

Because there is an epidemic of anorexia, social media and online apps are making things worse, it kills quicker and is harder to treat when it gets hold which it does v quickly, services are overwhelmed treating it including services the rest of the community use….

This measure will increase the figures even more and make treatment even harder. It’s ludicrous to ignore that because some people used to eat 2 curries when going out. You don’t need to put the lives of others at risk to tell you you shouldn’t be doing that.

The main benefit is understanding that not all salads are lower calories than other options that on the surface appear more calorific.

I thought I had a good grasp of calories in meal but I am still surprise at menus at restaurants, especially salads.

[quote Beautiful3]@Amdone123

Yes I agree with what you've said. However most people I know, including myself just want to be slim and look good. Yes it's good to feel healthy, but it's primarily because we want to look thin.[/quote]
No, sorry, that's not true. It may be for you but not for many of us. I eat healthy because I love knowing what I eat which is why I rarely eat out, I exercise because I love it, I don't need to spend big bucks on a gym, I just run. It's not about being "thin", it's about feeling good about myself.

@Jacopo

People like you amaze me. Like genuinely, who leaves slices of pizza on their plate when they’re not technically full up?

Seriously, if I am going out for a pizza you can be rest assured I will be eating every single slice 😂Particularly because eating out for us as a family is a real treat and because there’s always room for the last slice of pizza on my plate irrespective of what those numbers are telling me

Hats off to you though.

Well, at least it will stop people eating a pizza and then believing it wasn’t a heavy meal because they didn’t have dough balls or dessert.

Maybe the idea is also for restaurants to make the effort to limit the number of calories in some dishes by using less fat for example.

In my opinion, anything that can help people make an informed choice is good. For what it is worth I was anorexic (or «am», as it will always be there somewhere in my mind) and even though I eat out, I sometimes obsess over how bad it was / how donI balance it out. Having the number of calories there will at least make it clear.

@Tulipblacksmith

Yes. Everyone should read that book! It explains why yo-yo dieting is so bad (and also why public health advice is so screwed).

I’ve been banging on about this for years.

@Alm0nd1

Anorexia kills, is easy to take hold and ruthlessly hard to cure when it has taken hold.

As does obesity and it is far more prevalent.

People with eating disorders (including anorexia nervosa) who find the calories on menus helpful are being ignored and shouted down by others.

@LovelyLovelyWarmCoffee

It will help a lot of people. It would be good to have the option of not knowing though for some people who it may trigger?

Not sure how that could be implemented though. I personally won’t even bother looking at the numbers. I eat out that rarely it’s a non issue.

@JinglingHellsBells put it like this.

It's like an alcoholic who has been sober for a few years and done AA and is a teetotaller having a pint put in front of them every time they go out to eat without them asking.

Yes they'll hopefully be able to move it away and 'nope, ignoring that'. But there's likely to be a % who really really want the pint. And even some who might drink it.

@Mickarooni they're not being shouted down. Many just disagree. EDs aren't one size fits all.

I don’t know if I’d notice. If I did, I wouldn’t care. My children are aware some food has higher calories than others.
Got the average Joe, I think it’s a good thing.

[quote Calandor]@Mickarooni they're not being shouted down. Many just disagree. EDs aren't one size fits all. [/quote]
On Twitter and other social media, there appears to only be one voice that’s ‘right’.

@Mickarooni ah well that's a shame. I'm glad it's helpful to some. Like I said I think two menus would be best with a calorie free one available

I see both sides, which is why I think they should just have a separate calorie-annotated menu that people can ask for, the same as they can ask for allergen menus.

As a PP said, anorexia affects 12% of women, 1% of men.

Anorexia isn't the only ED.

@Calandor Looking at it from a cold hard financial perspective - the government/restaurants not me! - obesity costs the NHS far more. Lifelong treatment for diabetes, high blood pressure medication etc. The restaurants won't want this as it will have an impact on sales. How many people will decide against dessert and/or skip a starter now?

Someone made a good point upthread that alcoholics and gambling addicts are triggered every single day. The shop doesn't hide the booze away in case the alcoholic gets tempted when buying food.

IMO, a big part of the negative reaction to this is people don't like to be held accountable for the fact they are overweight. It's all too easy to blame hormones, genetics, metabolism, all the while burying your head in the sand about how many calories that restaurant meal is.

People shouldn't see the calorie content of a meal and feel guilt. You're an adult and can make your own choices. It's going to have to be a case of phoning ahead and finding out if you can have a menu without the calories on if it is going to risk you relapsing.

It's about informed choice. You asked "since when did we sacrifice 12% of people", but you could turn it around and say why should 2/3 of the population have to live in a state of ignorance about what they're putting in their mouths for that 12%?

There's no perfect answer that will please everyone, even extra menus mean higher food costs for everyone when the print costs are passed on. I still think it's a good thing and very much needed.

"Many people with EDs - not just anorexia - can tell you the calorie content in everything anyway." Yes, and that is bad, and that is why recovery involves learning to not spend one's life constantly tallying calories.

Mickarooni
So have calories available on request. Aside from that the main treatment used( Maudsley) is to avoid numbers and calories. Our service bans shopping and preparing of food because of calorie monitoring.

Obesity kills over time. You have time to save lives. Anorexia is more catastrophic faster.

@TibetanTerrah that's true on the money point.

But on the alcohol point, they don't often put a shot of vodka in the alcoholics hand do they? And you don't need alcohol to live. You do need food.

The majority don't have to live in ignorance. Like I've said 10 times I want two menus available. But either way every restaurant pretty much has their calories available online anyway. Just takes a quick Google.