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 know a lot of people who are classed as overweight by BMI standards yet lead healthier lifestyles and have better general health than people who aren't, so my opinion on that won't change"

You'd need to follow them all through their lives and have a control group.
I bet you know a 100 year old who smokes too...

Teens that are obese have time to sort their condition and calorie counting is not what should be focused on. Anorexic teens don’t have time. It’s deadly. Calories on menus are damaging for both groups,dangerous for anorexics and the many teens susceptible to it.

Counting calories, or rather being aware of calories, is not 'so dangerous' for children and teenagers, it's actually fine for the vast majority of them. Less than 1% of children and teenagers might find this dangerous, but 20% of them might find it very helpful as part of treating their obesity. The other 79% could also find it useful to maintain their weight.

@PurpleDaisies

You’re comfortable with eleven year olds making choices in restaurants based on calorie counting? I’m certainly not.

Why aren't you though? Children should be taught about nutrition and part of that is around calories. Demystifying them, not making them out to be the bogey man- understanding how they can help inform a balanced diet and healthier habits to carry through with them.

@Alm0nd1

Teens that are obese have time to sort their condition and calorie counting is not what should be focused on. Anorexic teens don’t have time. It’s deadly. Calories on menus are damaging for both groups,dangerous for anorexics and the many teens susceptible to it.

Calorie counting doesn't cause eating disorders. There is also a plethora of information (most of it incorrect and dangerous) that those who wanted to could easily seek out. I'm not suggesting calorie counting should be taught as the be all and end all as it isn't, but they have their place learning about living a healthy lifestyle. Confounding factors will always have an affect and its not like it would cure obesity, but I think it's unfair to not give children the information and tools they need to try and live healthily. How many adults are in a tedious and never ending cycle of dieting and being miserable about their weight? That sounds more depressing than making responsible decisions.

There’s a difference between teaching about nutrition and sticking calories on a children’s menu. Schools don’t put calories on their menus.

There are way more than 1% of the population susceptible. Anorexia is linked to autism, many have traits and no diagnosis. Many are waiting for a diagnosis. Then you get those suffering from stress, isolation, feeling out of control… Eating disorders cost the NHS billions, carers suffer from depression and often can’t work.. Eating disorder figures are rocketing….. We can’t afford to ignore the risks.

www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/news/beat-news/three-half-year-delay-eating-disorder-treatment/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwmPSSBhCNARIsAH3cYgYEwddilqDlHFrvoHrJt5xGl1VueLCplfnvkPWq57iYeUpcf2z2D2kaAp5CEALw_wcB

www.rehab4addiction.co.uk/blog/eating-disorder-statistics-uk

Children do not need to calorie count to be healthy. They just don’t.

@PurpleDaisies

There’s a difference between teaching about nutrition and sticking calories on a children’s menu. Schools don’t put calories on their menus.

School menus are produced within certain parameters so there's no need, although in secondary schools they should do imo where children have more autonomy over their meals and they're not set.

Weight related issues cause billions a year

NHS spending on diabetes 'to reach £16.9 billion by 2035'

Much of that preventable

www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/news_landing_page/nhs-spending-on-diabetes-to-reach-169-billion-by-2035

We are also failing children in this country on a huge scale regarding obesity so not sure citing stuff we currently do is overly helpful.

@Alm0nd1

Children do not need to calorie count to be healthy. They just don’t.

Great points, really informative.

@Hont1986

Counting calories, or rather being aware of calories, is not 'so dangerous' for children and teenagers, it's actually fine for the vast majority of them. Less than 1% of children and teenagers might find this dangerous, but 20% of them might find it very helpful as part of treating their obesity. The other 79% could also find it useful to maintain their weight.

What are you basing these stats off? Because I can guarantee a lot more than 1% will be negatively affected by this

Yes MarshaBradyo with proper mental health and disordered eating support not by wacking calorie amounts on menus that is likely to come with both a human and financial cost.

Overeating is a far bigger problem in this country than undereating. By several orders of magnitude.

I'm sure people got upset when they started putting "Smoking Kills" and pictures of diseased lungs on cigarette packets but it doesn't mean it wasn't the right thing to do and smoking is at it's lowest level for over 50 years.

@Alm0nd1

Yes MarshaBradyo with proper mental health and disordered eating support not by wacking calorie amounts on menus that is likely to come with both a human and financial cost.

I’m ok with it as a behaviour change method

Although reading around it seems studies show that labels need to be very accessible and clear.

Eg the traffic light system on packages work better than menu additions in NYC as often the latter is unclear and messy

@Florenz

Overeating is a far bigger problem in this country than undereating. By several orders of magnitude.

I'm sure people got upset when they started putting "Smoking Kills" and pictures of diseased lungs on cigarette packets but it doesn't mean it wasn't the right thing to do and smoking is at it's lowest level for over 50 years.

That’s totally different. You can avoid those pictures by not smoking. If you’re eating out, you can’t exactly not look at the menu.

@PurpleDaisies

There’s a difference between teaching about nutrition and sticking calories on a children’s menu. Schools don’t put calories on their menus.

@PurpleDaisies

Why shouldn’t kids know about calories?! They’ll have to learn sometime. It’s helpful for them to see that some foods are healthy but still need to be eaten in moderation eg stuff like salmon and advocado has lots of nutrition but you shouldn’t eat loads of it as it’s very calorie dense. Honestly all this wrapping kids up in cotton wool is really unhelpful to them and does them no favours later on in life

Children do not need to calorie count to be healthy

Healthy children don't. If you've got the kind of child that eats only when they're hungry, only until they're full, and they snack on organic cherry tomatoes and almonds, congratulations. You are raising an adult that can 'listen to their body' and 'eat intuitively', and doesn't need to calorie count. Unfortunately a lot of children are not like that.

You can be perfectly healthy while 'overweight'"

No you cannot be perfectly healthy whilst being overweight. Not sure what the “” are about. Being overweight is a health problem in itself and it predisposes you to others.

It’s this kind of denial that contributes to the huge problem we have in the Uk with obesity

@Alm0nd1

Teens that are obese have time to sort their condition and calorie counting is not what should be focused on. Anorexic teens don’t have time. It’s deadly. Calories on menus are damaging for both groups,dangerous for anorexics and the many teens susceptible to it.

Anorexia is a mental illness about a need to control rather than food though. We could focus on the pressures young people feel to help them.

Whilst calories on menus help those that need to know what they are eating.

That’s totally different. You can avoid those pictures by not smoking. If you’re eating out, you can’t exactly not look at the menu.

No one “needs” to eat either.

“Eat out” that should read.

No a lot of kids are inactive and eat too many snacks and empty calories. Counting calories makes disordered eating worse. You instantly feel restricted and want more, so turn to diet snacks/ foods, feel hungry etc. A healthy relationship with food and a diet rich in fruit/ veg with 3 healthy meals a day, a couple of healthy snacks and getting off their screens and being more active is what most kids need to focus. Not a life of calorie counting abd restriction.

No one “needs” to eat either.

What on earth are you talking about? Everyone needs to eat. It’s a basic requirement to remain alive.