http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9402E0DD1631F935A35751C1A9609C8B63
New York City's first-in-the-nation order to ban trans fats from all city restaurants has received wide attention. But the most important health dividends might well come from a less prominent measure that was also approved by the city's Board of Health yesterday: a requirement that fast-food restaurants post the calories in their offerings in large type and in readily visible positions. The likely shock when patrons realize just how many calories they are imbibing with their oversized burgers and fries or richly sweetened coffees may provide just the right impetus to propel overweight customers toward a healthier diet.
The calorie posting requirement applies to all restaurants that have standardized menus and already list the calorie content of their menu items publicly, often on a Web site or brochure or even in the restaurant itself, although not very prominently. These restaurants, which include virtually all of the well-known fast-food chains, will soon be required to post the caloric content of each item on menus and on menu boards, in type every bit as large as the name or price of the item.
We can already savor the astonishment of consumers who find that they are squandering a huge chunk of their daily caloric allowance (roughly 2,000 or so calories for a standard adult) on a single item or meal. How many consumers realize that a venti Caffè Mocha with breve milk and whipped cream at Starbucks punishes them with 770 calories, a third of their daily quota. And how many Burger King customers realize that a single meal consisting of a triple Whopper with cheese, a king-size Coke and a large order of fries rings in at 2,120 calories, their whole daily allowance?
The phasing out of trans fats from all city restaurants, not just fast-food chains, won't do much about the obesity epidemic but it could save people from heart attacks and death if administered properly. The chief qualm is whether the city's eateries will simply substitute saturated fats, which also raise the risk of heart disease. City health officials have extended the deadlines for compliance and believe there will be ample supplies of heart-healthy oils. They will need to monitor the restaurants closely to make sure the new rules don't backfire.
New York City's first-in-the-nation order to ban trans fats from all city restaurants has received wide attention. But the most important health dividends might well come from a less prominent measure that was also approved by the city's Board of Health yesterday: a requirement that fast-food restaurants post the calories in their offerings in large type and in readily visible positions. The likely shock when patrons realize just how many calories they are imbibing with their oversized burgers and fries or richly sweetened coffees may provide just the right impetus to propel overweight customers toward a healthier diet.
The calorie posting requirement applies to all restaurants that have standardized menus and already list the calorie content of their menu items publicly, often on a Web site or brochure or even in the restaurant itself, although not very prominently. These restaurants, which include virtually all of the well-known fast-food chains, will soon be required to post the caloric content of each item on menus and on menu boards, in type every bit as large as the name or price of the item.
We can already savor the astonishment of consumers who find that they are squandering a huge chunk of their daily caloric allowance (roughly 2,000 or so calories for a standard adult) on a single item or meal. How many consumers realize that a venti Caffè Mocha with breve milk and whipped cream at Starbucks punishes them with 770 calories, a third of their daily quota. And how many Burger King customers realize that a single meal consisting of a triple Whopper with cheese, a king-size Coke and a large order of fries rings in at 2,120 calories, their whole daily allowance?
The phasing out of trans fats from all city restaurants, not just fast-food chains, won't do much about the obesity epidemic but it could save people from heart attacks and death if administered properly. The chief qualm is whether the city's eateries will simply substitute saturated fats, which also raise the risk of heart disease. City health officials have extended the deadlines for compliance and believe there will be ample supplies of heart-healthy oils. They will need to monitor the restaurants closely to make sure the new rules don't backfire.
It's America's obsession with food and counting calories that leads to so many unhealthy people in my opinion.
