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.

Good tip @daisydoesnt thanks! Although I hate grease splatters in my oven too haha... I need to get a George forman don't I

@Mummy1608

If you grill sausages, some of the fat drips away, so it's slightly more healthy than frying. But I'm not sure how much difference it makes.

I remember being irritated when Wetherspoons did this and wondered if they did it for food, why not beverages?
It doesn't bother me now. I have what I want.

I don’t know anyone who is overweight and I’m in my mid-50s. I just find it odd that this is deemed necessary. But I suppose the stats don’t lie. I would hazard that putting the calories on alcohol would help more than on food in restaurants.

Not all EDs work for same. For some this will make it a lot easier to go out. I understand it won’t work for others though.

Surely for those who have eating disorders or are recovering from them the fact that calories (would prefer nutritional values) are displayed on menus is good to help towards a healthy attitude towards food.

Calories alone is stupid.

I'm more interested in the protein and carb contents.

Eating out is or should be a very occasional treat. If you need to know the calories of an occasional restaurant meal perhaps you are eating out too often. It isn’t going to ruin your diet especially if you eat less on the day in preparation.

@FrangipaniBlue "I wish instead of calories they'd just stick a little QR code on that you scan and it brings up all the information"

Oh now you're talking! Allergens, nutritional content, maybe even suggestions for other things on the menu - 'don't want nuts? Try this...' or 'lower protein, try this...'

I find it helpful when choosing
Although I am sceptical about accuracy
I was out with a friend a few days ago we both had the same dish but mine was from the gluten free menu both menus showed same calorie content but hers came with 4 slices of chunky bread and mine had a small GF roll

@Gonnagetgoing

Surely for those who have eating disorders or are recovering from them the fact that calories (would prefer nutritional values) are displayed on menus is good to help towards a healthy attitude towards food.

I think listing the calories or nutritional content is profoundly unhelpful for a healthy relationship with food.

I try to keep to 1200 calories per day and still need to exercise hard to keep from putting in weight. In fact my weight is creeping up again now I’m on HRT and levothyroxine so probably need to reduce some more.

I was at a pub restaurant yesterday and DH and I shared a pizza for one and we’re full. It was a massive pizza and had just under 1000 calories! Personally, I think the issue eating out isn’t so much the calorific value of the food but the ridiculous portion sizes.

A pub we went to a couple of days ago (we’re on holiday - we don’t usually eat out so much) had most of their mains available as smaller servings which are actually a much more sensible size.

I people stop eating the over large meals because of the calories then the industry will have to adjust and (hopefully) provide sensibly sized portions (priced accordingly). Those who want to eat more can have additional sides.

@Ktspears

From a relative who works in food regulation, it’s a quite ineffective way of getting individuals to make massively different choices about food at a societal level. But it is a brilliant way of getting big food businesses to reformulate their products to be healthier - as they know seeing how many calories are in your pizza at the point of purchase will put people off ordering. Thought that was interesting.

This is what we really need. Though maybe just reducing portion sizes rather than messing with taste.

@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.

People aren't being policed, they're being given information, their choice what to do with it.

Calories counts have been shown at McDonald's for ages and it has changed what I choose there- surprised to discover that a hamburger is lower cal than one of their salads which made me quite happy

I hate it, I never count calories but decades ago in my late teens I did have an eating disorder and I do find it off putting. It just takes the joy out of eating out for me and adds stress. If this had happened when I was younger I would have been guilted into always choosing the meal with least calories on the menu, even if it wasn’t what I really wanted to. These days I’d still choose what I wanted, but it still adds a negative dimension.

For anyone with an active eating disorder this is really difficult and damaging. They should have menus available without calories and should ask which type you want.

For selfish reasons I like it. If I'm trying to lose weight and going out for a meal, I can see the calories instead of trying to guess.

I can see how others might not like it though. They could have listed the calories online instead and not have have printed on the menu. Given people a choice whether they wanted to know or not

@Notreallyhappy

Some loon decided that this will fight the obesity problem in the country. It would be helpful if they stop telling us that women can have 2000kcals per day and men 2500kcal.. 20% more than really needed.

Your pizza sounds fab!

20% more than needed? Only if you're extremely sedentary and have developed a sluggish metabolism.

Which is part of the problem causing obesity in this country, so lets not promote inactivity, which the NHS is rather too good at (I recently injured my foot and was told by the NHS to cease all weight bearing sport, instead of rehabbing it - 3 months later I was running with pain again).

We need to get out of this mindset that sedentary is normal. You have a choice - you either eat very little to stay slim if you're inactive, or you eat a bit more but take exercise - and that way you will also build muscles which will help hold your joints and bones together as you age - something else parts of the NHS doesn't seem particularly keen on either.

surely an anorexic will know the calories anyway, should they go out to eat
although i understand anorexics do not agree with the calories being pointed out.
i dont mind them
but i am not sure they are a good idea, why take away the enjoyment of a meal out

PineappleMojito

DaisyStPatience
I understand the concern for people with restrictive eating disorders but there are a huge number of overweight and obese people in this country who also have eating disorders and evidently something needs to be done on that front.

The reality for people with alcohol and gambling addiction is that they're constantly confronted by triggers too, the same goes for many other traumas, it just isn't possible to avoid.
The “something needs to be done” about those who live in larger bodies and also have eating disorders does not = telling them to restrict calories.

It’s about why people overeat emotionally and psychologically
It’s about poverty and unaffordable healthy food - prices skyrocketing
It’s about poor nutrition education, the education system neglects life skills over passing tests.
It’s about the food industry and an obesogenic environment making it easier for people to turn to food for psychological reasons rather than hunger. Also, a poor diet over a long time can cause you to be out of touch with your body’s hunger and satiety cues, making intuitive eating impossible.
It’s about “hustle culture” which makes it the norm to suppress and ignore bodily needs to serve the consumer machine. Long work hours, lack of sleep (which also impacts appetite control) and lack of leisure time or time/energy to cook healthy meals. Turning to quick and easy food rewards - takeout or ready meals because you can’t do anything else due to exhaustion.
It can be about unidentified health issues including neurological ones such as ADHD - huge link between undiagnosed ADHD and binge eating disorder and bulimia, so we should be screening people with EDs and addiction issues as standard practice.*

Calories on menus are bollocks. We need systemic change.

Came on to say something very similar. I’m really concerned about the effect of this on people with EDs, who already struggle with an illness that has a higher mortality rate than any other MH issue.

And for those who struggle with being overweight or obese, it’s not going to help much either.

It’s a lazy and cheap way for the government to pass the blame solely to the individual, rather than invest properly in decent mental health provision or societal change to address the drivers of obesity.

If they were really concerned about obesity they would be looking to tackle the underlying causes, not trying to spend the minimum possible in palming responsibility off.

I’m very pleased about it. I know all the argument against it but frankly I think that’s people wanting to stick their heads in the sand about their food consumption. I’ve recently lost a bit of weight and have realised only total self-accountability does the trick. There are no short cuts. Counting calories works. I’m going away this weekend and am glad that the hotel I’m staying in offers the calorie menu. I don’t want to have a mindless blow-out. I want to eat good food but make sensible choices that won’t send me home several pounds heavier.

As adults we should also be able to cope with knowing that we are eating a high-calorie meal for pleasure occasionally and not let the knowledge of that ruin our night.

My OH is morbidly obese, he is clueless about the food he eats and doesn't want to learn. This would help him make healthier choices, often between two things that he would equally enjoy. It already helps him in places like Costa.
I also like to know, you'd think it is obvious what the calorific option is, but often it isn't.

I do think there should be two menus though (without having to request it), so if you don't want to know or are triggered by it you can opt out.

It would be helpful if they stop telling us that women can have 2000kcals per day and men 2500kcal.. 20% more than really needed

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.

It wouldn't make the slightest difference to me, I would eat what I wanted and not even look at the calories. I can see that it wouldn't be great for people with eating disorders though, and really how far is this going to go? (Not that it's anything to do with me as I don't live in the UK).

The point about the information being available in supermarkets is very valid. If people ignore it in Asda why on earth do we think they'll change their behaviour in Pizza Express?
Especially since eating out is now expensive and is a treat to many.
People don't necessarily make the rational decision when having a treat.

I’ve recently lost a bit of weight and have realised only total self-accountability does the trick. There are no short cuts. Counting calories works.

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

I find it really useful. It makes me realise how very much certain foods use up of my daily calorie count and I'm not that bothered about eating them. I've never been a careful calorie counter but I did notice that I stopped eating the really calorific cakes in cafes when they had to put the calorie count on (I don't think I was alone because they soon made the labels really tiny, so you could hardly read them!).

If you can also get menus without them on then it's fine. We are an obese nation even if we like to kid ourselves then we're not.