Well Spring is here and every one's thoughts go from keeping warm to fitting into all those adorable warm weather outfits that have been suffering in isolation for the past 6 months. Yes, it's the annual "Ok, Now I REALLY have to lose the weight" time. Forget those silly New Year resolutions. You know the ones where you promise yourself you will faithfully visit the gym every day and spend no less than 45 minutes doing some form of weight training or cardio-type exercise class. Followed up by the resolution to declare junk food off-limits and only buy organic vegetables and free-range hormone-free meat to make all those healthy meals you are going to start cooking. It's time to hunker down and get serious...bathing suit weather is just around the corner.
So you are probably thinking this is going to be one of those posts where I discuss weight loss and my failure to meet New Year resolutions (which are not the ones listed above). Nope, that's not the purpose of this post. I want to inform all of you about the soon to be available calorie counts at major restaurants. Yes, that's right. Coming soon to a Red Lobster near you will be the addition of the number of calories in the entree'. Provided the Health Care Bill passes, restaurants will be required to list how many calories are in the food you buy. That also goes for the beverages too. Some places like Mc Donald's have already included it on food wrappers and french fry boxes and some chain restaurants like Applebees have special menus that list items under 500 calories or are worth so many Weight Watchers points.
So what exactly does this mean to the average person? Well, it's simple. Now the person ordering the food no longer has the excuse they were unaware of how unhealthy this item was. To be honest, there is still a lot of gray areas in this. For instance, not every place is required to participate so the little Mom and Pop diners probably aren't going to be overhauling their menu's anytime soon. Also, I'm not sure how the whole calorie count thing works at buffet places either.
The biggest problem is of course portion sizes. How big does something have to be in order to have X amount of calories in it? If I take 5 items at a Chinese buffet or 7 items at Royal Fork how do I know that what I'm eating is an actual serving? If my plate is heaping with pasta, is that how much food qualifies for the calorie count listed on the menu?
Getting back to the whole eating out bit, one has to ask themself if they are actually interested in making a healthy choice when ordering. Let's face it, no one really expects appetizers such as loaded potato skins and mozzarella sticks to be a nutritious part of your meal but I'm sure few people realize just how bad those little items are for them. Same goes for those really healthy sounding items that are full of hidden fat and calories. A chicken sandwich sounds healthier than a hamburger so one might select it thinking they have made a good choice. Well, if the chicken is breaded and fried or isn't 100% breast meat or is served with a mayonnaise based dressing then it might actually be more fattening than a hamburger made with lean ground beef and served without cheese. Even salads can be a diet disaster if one chooses something with cheese, eggs, croutons, some sort of fried or breaded meat and a creamy dressing. It would be nice to know just how healthy (or unhealthy) my food choices are. One other caveat, vegetables. Don't assume they are healthy just because they are on your plate. Butter is a great way to add flavor so even the steamed ones could be floating in a sea of grease.
Then there is my favorite part of the whole calorie post...the drinks. I will confess my undying love of Coca Cola. I love it, love it, love it. I also can't stand the taste of anything diet so only the real Coke will do. That being said, I have to take into consideration all those calories I drink every time I enjoy my favorite beverage. Unfortunately, my love of Coke contributes to my inability to fit into skinny jeans so I limit my intake to weekends and special occasions. I have even trained myself to only buy ice tea (unsweetened) whenever I stop by Casey's in my quest to cut back. I'm so very glad I never got into the flavored coffee drink craze. Yes, I think Starbucks will be affected by the calorie rule so I won't be surprised when some of their popular drinks suffer a decline in sales. I really don't want to know just how bad some of their drinks are and I'm sure many of their devotee's don't either. It could be the "ah-ha" moment some of them need though. Even juice can be bad for you if you drink it like water. 100% juice is surprisingly high in calories and a lot of products will put the word juice in big bold letters and then in small print tell you there is only 10-15% in the product so what you get is a lot of sugar instead.
So in closing dear readers, now that the nutrition police are out to get us. We must remain ever vigilant in our attempts to have a stress-free enjoyable time out at our favorite restaurant. If you are trying to change your eating habits, menu disclosure is a good thing. Maybe that wonderful item you always order every time you eat at a certain place is something you love so much it is worth the 1,000 calories. Does the fact your favorite beverage contains more calories than the lunch you ate freak you out? Order it once a month or find a way to modify it. Do you get the feeling that all those meals eaten outside the home are making you fat while your wallet gets thinner and thinner? Well now you know why. You are in control of what you eat and where you eat it. Take the information for what it is, information. Good or bad, it gives you the power to control your eating habits. Food is supposed to be enjoyed not categorized. A small amount of something that tastes really really good and is enjoyed is always better than a large amount of tasteless junk eaten in a hurry with a side of TUMS later when the indigestion hits.
Now if you will excuse me. I have to go make my organic veggie free-range chicken stir fry or I'm going to be late to my power lifting aerobics class.
* I am not getting paid to mention any product or place of business mentioned in this post.
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