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.

@Toponeniceone

Yes hopefully they will have to provide healthier options.

Calories aren’t inherently unhealthy, though. Calories are good for you and essential for life.

I find it helpful and I’m glad it’s a thing now.

I'm overweight and just ignore it, however when I do decide to lose weight I imagine it would be helpful

Yanbu. I don't want my 12 year old worrying about how many calories are in her pizza.

Exactly! The obesity epidemic will not be solved by people being put off having a pudding at Pizza Express.

We need education and support for truly healthy holistic diets. People need to be educated as to why a salad may have similar calories to a ‘healthy pizza option’ but one will cause weight gain and one won’t, because of insulin response. People may think that both are equal if the only nutritional information is calories.

Maybe we nay sayers will be proved wrong in two years time when this solution leads to a drop in obesity and all it’s related illnesses. I would love to be wrong about this one!

Calories aren’t inherently unhealthy, though. Calories are good for you and essential for life

I know, it's just some of them seem unnecessary. Perhaps there will be better produce, or not everything deep fried. That's all I was thinking. Like some places even fry their sausages for the breakfasts.

I meant they deep fat fry their sausages.

Sorry meant to quote @PineappleMojito but it didn’t work

@howtomoveforwards

I think it’s I think it’s useful - I am very overweight and it certainly stopped me having a pudding the other day.

What we really need is carb content - my youngest child is type 1 and guess the carbs when out and about is very hit and miss,

I agree. DH is type 1 and is always having to guess. Carb numbers would be helpful.

@Glamora

Its working then isnt it

If you had pizza and garlic dough balls and some desert it will make you think twice about how many calories you are mindlessly consuming

Personally - i use it to decide between dishes if i am torn

Working for who? Not Pizza Express! Really bad marketing!

@Toponeniceone

Calories aren’t inherently unhealthy, though. Calories are good for you and essential for life

I know, it's just some of them seem unnecessary. Perhaps there will be better produce, or not everything deep fried. That's all I was thinking. Like some places even fry their sausages for the breakfasts.

Wow isn't that normal? I've never done my sausages any other way, do you boil them...? Or grill them? I've only ever fried!

Sorry to go off on a tangent lol. But I don't think fried stuff is bad, it's sugar that's the real evil imo! But I don't have a sweet tooth so easy for me to say!

It's a good idea! If you aren't bothered about the calories then it doesn't matter to you anyway, if you are, it's helpful.

I log my calories on fitness pal so it's good for me but I can understand why others don't like it. I do think they should make this information available though, even if it's online rather than on the actual menu

Lolz this doesn’t bother me - when I go for pizza I always knew and expect it to be high in calories - but I don’t care I want the pizza so I go and eat it whatever amount of calories are in it 😂

For me it takes all the joy out of an occasional treat.

@CarmenThePanda yes, calorie information has been available on all food for years and yet everyone is still obese - sort of suggests it doesn't work?

Fast food chains like mcdonalds have had calorie counts displayed on their menu for years and I haven't seen any evidence that it reduces consumption or prevents obesity. It would for me, but that's because I calorie counts anywaym

I'm finding the connection between calories and 'healthier' a bit worrying on here. If you went to pizza express and ordered a margarita it would have fewer calories than the exact same pizza piled with tons of different vegetables.

I don't believe in demonising any one food. Calorie counts don't work to prevent obesity because one meal doesn't cause obesity.

Just yet more low hanging fruit, non evidence based policies that don't tackle the true cause of anything so this inept government can pretend they've done something while making a positive difference in precisely noone's life.

@AmandaHoldensLips

You can ask for a menu without the calories on it. (The manager of one of my local restaurants told me this.)

I think it should be the other way round. Automatically get a menu without the calorie count and have the option to ASK for one of you want one.

@Figmentofmyimagination

Put it on supermarket ready meals - great idea - I get that - people need to see how many calories, sugar, salt etc are packed into their M&S spaghetti carbonara etc and other everyday food, and hopefully it will encourage more people to cook from scratch, but 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.

They are already on supermarket ready meals and have been for years.

Id prefer to be able to ask for it .. so no calorie listing as standard, ask for the one with the calorie listing if you want it.

Any idea how mortifying it is to ask for the no calories version as an obese person with an ED? Or anyone with an ED for that matter, just that if you are obese, everyone can see that... and immediately assumes its entirely your own fault.

Better than cal. though, I'd like to easily see the carb listing per portion, but im happy to ask for that, thats far less of a cringe moment - I need it to accurately calculate insulin.

I can understand the sentiment that it's designed tri make people stop and think instead of mindlessly shovelling calories.

But at the same time simply "counting calories" without taking into consideration the macro split doesn't automatically = "healthy eating"....... maybe it's a start though and if it prompts one overweight person to rethink their attitude to and relationship with food then is that not a good thing?

I do wonder whether the people who claim to be of healthy weight but at the same time are outraged/offended by seeing the calories are being honest with themselves. If you truly are a healthy weight, have a healthy attitude to food and usually eat a healthy balanced diet then why would seeing the calories on a restaurant meal cause you such upset?

@Madmaxxy

For me it takes all the joy out of an occasional treat.

I agree. I went out for dinner on Saturday for the first time in ages and i didn’t like seeing calories in the menu.

I do not have disordered eating but I felt guilty about what I ordered which surprised me.

For those with an eating disorder, it’s awful and I hope the campaigners win and get this removed.

For those without an eating disorder you must know that there are a lot of calories in pizza?! You don’t need to see the number. If you’re worried about eating too much calories then bank calories over the week if you know you’re going out. One day of over eating your calories is not going to make a difference!

"Anyone who needs to know how many calories are in their pizza can look it up on one of the many apps that are available"

Not everything is listed and it isn't always right.

"Why not tell people the salt content, where the eggs came from"
They do. Places who use free range eggs like to tell us.

Unlike you I'm struggling with my weight in my 50's and I have to calorie count. Health isn't all about calories , but weight is and we have a lot of people struggling with weight across Europe. I'm conscious of aging and the implications. We haven't got a health service fit for purpose and now, with Covid, we have another attack on our health, if you are older and fat.

My criticism would be that there's loopholes that allow the likes of Gordon Ramsay to get out of the new legislation, whereas similar businesses can't. Also the lack of funding.

I do hope that it makes restaurants look at calorie content and do more small portions. Also have a selection of lower calorie drinks.

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!

Eating out shouldn’t be an every day occurrence so I personally would rather not be made to feel guilty about picking what I enjoy rather than what I feel I should have on my one meal out a month or so.

It’s more important to make healthy food choices at home. We already have calorie content on every package we buy and it’s easy to find out if you are actively tracking calories.

For me, calorie counting resulted in an eating disorder and it took a long time for me to move away from always picking the lowest calorie option.