I actually am all for calories on menus?

[Acatnamedfox]

I hate to be that person and post in AIBU when maybe it belongs in another section BUT…

Am I the only one that is sort of looking forward to this?

I get it when you’re out and having a good time maybe birthday/party/celebration whatever you don’t want to know.

But I genuinely have no idea of the calories in things and sometimes pick a salad not realising with all the dressings I could have had the fish and chips for the same calories..

I know I’m going against the masses here but I believe it will help me make healthier decisions when out and I’m not against it!

Yes - I’m being unreasonable no one needs that kind of negativity

No - I’m looking forward to a bit of guidance.

On the main issue, I think this is a shit move and is going to make things harder for the group of people who have disordered eating.

The government do not give a shit about policies genuinely helping people or solving problems, they just want gimmicks that can be sold easily to the gullible.

By putting these on menus they can signal they are 'doing something' about obesity - crucially without doing a single thing to actually tackle it (like undoing some of the public health cuts). This is also so that those who are fat can be blamed personally rather than it being seen as a systemic issue (in truth it is both, so to improve it we have to tackle both).

Just part of the dystopian descent. I'm no conspiracy theorist but there's an element of control that's disturbing. Eating out is no longer something where relaxing or throwing caution to the wind isn't going to draw judgment . I already struggle eating in public. This is the end of it for me.

@justfiveminutes

I'm looking forward to this too. I was in M&S yesterday and would have chosen soup and a roll as the lowest calorie option if I was guessing I think. But the lowest calorie item was a little ciabatta bun with fishfingers. It was really useful. I don't understand people who don't want to know really, like sticking your head in the sand. I expect it will force restaurants to reduce the calories in some meals too. It does sound as if it will be difficult for people with eating disorders but I think an informed choice is better than a guess for everyone.

This explains the issue. If all you are doing is looking at calories a) you are not thinking about nutrition and b) you as an individual have a calorie counting thing which is potentially a sign of a bad relationship to food.

This explains why this will make things worse not better.

It is crap. As a parent of a child with a eating disorder, and for all those people - especially children and young people - with ED, this will be catastrophic. Keeping in mind that the majority of these children will not be getting the therapy they need, it will make true, long lasting recovery so difficult.

I agree with you OP.

I disagree with the PP who thinks the obesity problem is all down to a lack of exercise. We do eat more than we used to 30 years ago - portion size, calories and snacking all have a role to play in this.

And counting calories has been shown not to help.

I would like a carb/protein/fat breakdown but that's only because I track my macros. It'll be handy for some people and triggering for others. Obesity isn't just down to a lack of exercise, although it plays a part. However, more calories in than burnt off causes weight gain, you cannot out run a bad diet. People need to be aware of the calories they are consuming as well as moving more.

@Alm0nd1

And counting calories has been shown not to help.

Yes quite!

It is so maddening. This country has lost its mind, it makes me feel so grumpy watching policy after policy make things worse,.

No people need a balanced healthy diet and not to fixate on calories as calorie counting has been proven not to work longterm and leads to disordered eating.

I'm interested in it too. I don't choose meals solely based on calories, if I fancy something I have it I just try to balance out the rest of the day or the next day.
No idea if it will help tackle obesity? Time will tell. I suspect portion size is a huge contributor.

This explains the issue. If all you are doing is looking at calories a) you are not thinking about nutrition

What makes you think it's all anyone is doing?

b) you as an individual have a calorie counting thing which is potentially a sign of a bad relationship to food

"Thing" - already dismissing CC as a fad/hangup, and as for "potentially", well so what, people can deal with this as/when it occurs. Kind of like when they look at the info on food packaging.

This explains why this will make things worse not better

No it doesn't, and this whole stance is patronising: let's not give people, information, they might misuse it.

So what if they do? Their choice.

The difficulty with (any) government strategy is that there isn't a "one size fits all" solution to the obesity crisis - if there was we would have fixed it years ago. And whilst opportunities to exercise are really important you still can out exercise a bad diet.

What works for some won't work for others. For me I have a very dodgy relationship with food and it would definitely "guilt" me into choosing a lower option if I was eating out. But that also happens now when every I buy something on the hop.

Someone else though may find it very helpful.

Cant not can out exercise diet. Totally contradicts my point 😂

People keep posting calorie counting doesn't work and we should discount them.

It's a tool like everything else is a tool. I don't calorie count but others do and it works for them.

I look at what the meal is composed of first but the calories on a menu can help me determine how it has been cooked and whether I am happy to consume that amount. Often it comes down to a choice of a couple of different dishes so yes calories on a menu will help me choose depending on my diet and level of exercise as a whole.

It's a really skewed mentality to think that fish and chips would be healthier for you than a salad. It's like people who claim drinking a can of coke is healthier than a smoothie. Calories aren't everything, nutrition is.

I think it’s a good idea. Nobody is claiming it’s magic wand cure-all for obesity but there’s no doubt that many people are a bit clueless about their calorie intake, often severely under guesstimating. So imo it’s information that has the potential to be helpful for a lot of people.

There’s a bit of an ignorance is bliss attitude from some arguing against this but whether you know or don’t know the calorie content of your restaurant meal doesn’t actually change the fact that those are the calories! We know that people are overweight because they consume more calories than their body uses and the underlying reasons eg emotional, sugar addiction, don’t change that.

It’s information. It’s not all the information by any means but most of the public will will have a basic understanding of calories and having this information may help them in making healthier choices, whether by choosing a different meal or by deciding I’ll enjoy this as a treat but tomorrow I’ll eat less. They’re also free to completely ignore it.

@echt

This explains the issue. If all you are doing is looking at calories a) you are not thinking about nutrition

What makes you think it's all anyone is doing?

b) you as an individual have a calorie counting thing which is potentially a sign of a bad relationship to food

"Thing" - already dismissing CC as a fad/hangup, and as for "potentially", well so what, people can deal with this as/when it occurs. Kind of like when they look at the info on food packaging.

This explains why this will make things worse not better

No it doesn't, and this whole stance is patronising: let's not give people, information, they might misuse it.

So what if they do? Their choice.

So the views of experts that this will make things worse not better do not move you, and you trust our government to be taking the right approach here even though it goes against expert advice.

I am willing to bet pretty much everything in five years' time obesity will have risen, unless we get a change of government and proper investment in public health.

This policy will not work and will increase the issues around eating disorders, costing us money.

Is this a new law coming in, calories on menus?

I think it’s great for me personally. I can understand it will be hard for some people in recovery from eating disorders. It will be beneficial for some people with eating disorders to maintain an element of control (I work in mental health and have been told this by service users). Many people reciting from anorexia remain focussed on calorie counting for many many years. This would enable some people to eat more freely rather than sticking to a glass of water and a side salad.

Obesity is the crisis we are facing. This may or may not be significant in making any changes.

I like to stay slim but I really like food and portions at restaurants are often big, if I ate what I wanted all the time I would be overweight. I therefore need to eat in moderation. This doesn’t signal disordered eating, just a desire to keep at a healthy BMI. I need to watch calories sometimes to do this. Calorie counts on menus means I don’t order the burger and chips as it tends to have waaay calories, or I do and don’t get any dessert. Eating out is a big treat so I would have what I want and ensure I get adequate nutrients through the rest of the day.

Nutritional info is available in pre packaged sandwiches and snacks so it isn’t much different to this surely?

I find it helpful, but I also don’t just look at calories, I look at fats, sugars, and salts which I am glad that I can look at the board and see for myself in many places and be able to ask questions about dishes. I do wish though that they would do something about the nutritional facts on drinks where they would put the amount of calories, sugars, etc for part of the bottle and not the whole because most people tend to drink the full bottle. That should be what is on the front, not on the back in tiny lettering.

@nomistake

It's a really skewed mentality to think that fish and chips would be healthier for you than a salad. It's like people who claim drinking a can of coke is healthier than a smoothie. Calories aren't everything, nutrition is.

No-one said fish and chips is healthier than a salad but it's absolutely not the case that fish and chips is 'devoid of nutrition' as was claimed nor is it automatic that a salad is healthier than fish and chips, eg Caesar salad is a bit of lettuce, plus cheese, croutons and creamy sauce that in a chain restaurant is likely to be very processed rather than made fresh.

@millytint44

Is this a new law coming in, calories on menus?

No it's speculation about the new Tiger King spin off where Joe Exotic disguises himself as a struggling restaurateur with the goal of trying to get every person in the establishment to eat a salad at the same time in order to win a caravan holiday on the Isle of Wight

I find it really helpful. It gives a good indication of the serving size, too. I can decide whether a salad and onion rings as a side is a better choice than, say, pie and chips.

In fact, if I remember correctly it's the desserts that are shocking. You can have a slap up mixed grill, or a salad and a tiny dessert.

I'd say it's a wake up call for desserts and loaded coffees/hot chocolates.

I think it's useful information, but like others I'd prefer other nutritional info e.g protein etc(vegetarian).

Could they not have a code on the menu that you scan if you want to know this information, or have it online, or on separate specific menus?

@Coinchend

I think it's useful information, but like others I'd prefer other nutritional info e.g protein etc(vegetarian).

Could they not have a code on the menu that you scan if you want to know this information, or have it online, or on separate specific menus?

To offer a slightly more constructive contribution - I think this is a better answer. Have all the nutritional information to hand and make it easy to access without being put on the spot to request it. Still a challenge as you have to elect to make a choice - but then starts to cater (hehe) for both groups.

Places like Leon, Pret, McDs etc have done this for years - although usually buried on the website somewhere or on a tiny poster on the wall