Calorie Reality

A New York Times article today talks about how recent diets with complicated rules about what you can eat are on their way out. Calorie counting, the old fashioned way to diet, is back, proving that there is nothing magical about dieting. You have to take in fewer calories, end of story.

New York City is now requiring larger restaurant chains to post the calories in their dishes on the menu next to the price. This is an excellent thing! We now have to face the calories when we order the food. Personally, I think The Outback should have to list the calories in their food. The Bloomin’ Onion must have thousands of calories. I usually ask if I can get half of an onion and the answer is always no, of course. The last time I was there, I ordered the new quesadillas, which turn out to be grilled in oil or something, really greasy! I won’t order them again.

Packaged foods from supermarkets, drug stores, etc. will start to be labeled with the enclosed calories, another excellent move. We have to stop the mindless eating we do. If we don’t know the calories in our food, we can’t know how much we are overeating.

Maybe when companies have to post calories in their foods, they will rethink the recipes, finding ways to make their foods healthier or lower in sugar and fat.