Will Restaurant Calorie Postings Change the Way You Order?
In her column for the San Francisco Chronicle, prominent nutrition author and speaker Marion Nestle posed the question, “Will calorie labeling change what you order?” answering herself by adding, “Only if you pay attention to it.”
It’s true. According to the New York Times, a study last year revealed that in New York City, only half of restaurant patrons noticed calorie counts on menu boards. However, of that percentage, 9 out of 10 people said they had made healthier choices after seeing the information.
In a more recent Stanford study, Starbucks customers were shown to have 6% reduction in calories per transaction, from 247 to 232 average calories per transaction when calorie counts were posted.
In a particularly compelling paragraph, Nestle notes: “Most of us eat about half our calories in restaurants, but just try to guess the number in the foods you order. I can’t do it, and I’m supposed to know such things. Nearly everyone – including me – underestimates the calories in restaurant foods. People underestimate calories even more when the portions are large or the meals are promoted as healthful.”
Take the banana chocolate chip cake featured in the photo above. As a nutrition nut and devoted calorie counter, I am constantly “testing” myself before looking at restaurant postings to see how close my estimates are. I would have estimated that slice of cake (emphasized, by the way, as being fat free) to be around 300 calories. Oops. Seeing the 390 next to the price would definitely steer my order to a lighter option.
What about you? Weigh in with your vote in the poll below!
8 Responses to “Will Restaurant Calorie Postings Change the Way You Order?”
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Great post! Yes, I absolutely take nutrition info into account when it’s provided. One of the reasons I don’t like to eat out a lot is that it’s so “unpredictable”…
Definitely! Love seeing the nutritional info so I can make the best choices! Sometimes it still might be a rice crispie treat and frappucino but if I have the caloric “room” that day, I would go for it!
Michelle, I like that way of looking at it! Having the knowledge sometimes allow you to splurge and enjoy something more than you might if you didn’t have it!
There’s obviously a sampling bias in your poll..
Annie, I’m not going to argue with you there! Obviously this is not a scientific poll, it is only for human interest and of course all visitors should know that people who vote are, by definition, people who visit the site.
I would like to add though, that I believe this is true with ALL polls on the internet. Even a recent Time Magazine internet poll for Person of the Year was hacked!
The results of that poll may be skewed from the general public, since we’re a self-selected group by virtue of reading a blog called “The Dining Detective.” If we didn’t pay attention to calories in restaurants, we wouldn’t be here
When it comes to calorie postings, I pay attention, but take it with a grain of salt. That number can be plus or minus a couple hundred from reality depending on how they prepare the food (I’m sure they would use a light hand with the butter when they’re prepping a sample to send to the lab, but might not be so careful during day-to-day operations). It is useful for distinguishing broad ranges, though. Like if I’m deciding between two entrees, and one is listed to have 450 kcal and another 590, well, I’d go for the 590 if I really wanted it. But if one was 590 and another was 900, that’s crossing a line.
i was asking my friend the other day who loves her fast food if seeing the calories deters her from picking certain things and she went “nope.” hahaha so i guess that’s the answer atleast for my friend!
for me i know for sure it would make me think twice about it
I think it definitely depends on the person. Being a calorie conscious person, calories on a menu would definitely alter my decision, but some people might just not care!