This is INSANE

[JHZR2]

Ill admit it is easy to go to a restaurant, order what seems good and filling... and eat it.

I could go and get a salad and get filled, or i could go, for example, to McD's and get a 20pc chicken mcnuggets. Both will do the same (the mc nuggets may make me full for longer), but in the end, unless I actively look at the nutritional content, I know that one is worse for me than the other, but the actual magnitude of difference is unknown (and VERY large).

Yes, it will reduce business, as people dont buy as much of this or that due to its health effects. There will always be folks who do buy the same portions and same bad things, but some will change and buy less. That does not mean that smart companies cant capitalize on it and offer better for you healthful options to make $$$ on.

People need to be smart (which wont happen), and companies are smart. It is in the public interest for the smart companies to offer as much information to the idiotic people as they can to help them make their decisions. Its unfortunate that it has to be done, but you and I pay for the idiots one way or another, so who really cares?

Me? I know how to pick upthe brocheure an look at the nutrition facts if I want to - most of the time I dont - I know that what Im eating isnt the best for me, so I eat only if Ive worked out hard... and usually then we try to take part home anyway. Most any restaurant that isnt fancy or a mom and pop place offers the info necessary to determine how bad for you something is. it does not always register topeople to look at it, or they "dont have enough time"...

People eat as poorly at home as they do out. They are just dumb. There is no getting around it. In the end all, it is their decision, and they likely wont make the best one anyway. I dont really care, because whether Im paying for legislation to publish nutritional data or paying for their healthcare as they mooch the system, Im paying one way or another. At least if I get the nutritional info conveniently and its in front of me, I can make better informed decisions.

Some of us, like 97f150 points out, can use common sense and make decisions with little information. They can also make more informed decisions if desired. However, there is a LARGE segment of the population that cannot even do this. Protecting them from themselves may be our best option.

JMH

 

[OriginHacker21]

Exactly, 97F150. It all depends on personal preference. We have the freedom to choose. There are some of us who don't care what we eat. Those people are FREE to eat what they want. No one is trying to prevent them from eating that. Thanks to people like this I can enjoy a pizza, ice cream, potato chips! Otherwise, we'd all be eating tree bark. lol

Those of us (including myself) who are trying to shed a few pounds are interested in the nutritional value of food so it is interesting to see how calorie packed some foods are. This information is sometimes hard to come by - a point that I think buster is trying to make. It is interesting how this information is hidden from public view.

 

[simple_gifts]

Just thought I would add that arsenic is a regular additive to chicken feed; you won't find this on the label.

 

[rpn453]

I agree with you, Buster, that all restaurants should be required to provide detailed nutritional information on their products. It would make it easier for me to eat at a restaurant. I don't care about how many grams of fat something has, but I care about the details: nothing wrong with fat as long as the trans fats are minimal and the saturated fats are moderated.

I'd also like to see a ban on hydrogenated fats. I think that's supposed to be happening in Canada in a year or two though anyway.

 

[javacontour]

From looking at shopping carts, I can't say that people really pay attention to the labels.

I just polished off two fat free beef franks (40 calories each vs 160+ each for regular hot dogs) on whole wheat buns and I'm enjoying a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich.

Eating out, it's all about portion control. Get a box right away and put 1/2 of your meal in the box to take home, then eat the other half.

 

[dima]

Common people... They call it a junk food for a reason. Gues what, people still buy it in a huge quantaties. What govermen should do is to teach a general public is how to maintain in a proper diet.

Plus the reason we are so fat is because no body is cooking at home now days and we like to be lazy.
By telling what is a content of the food you are eating will not compensate for absents of phisical activities.

Your grand parents were eating a high callories diets, but they were much healthier than you. The reason is healthier life stile.

So no goverment rules can help us. We have to help ourself by changing our life stile in most radical way. Move more and we will be healthy regarding what we eat.

 

[Dan4510]

One reason we are so fat is that we bought into the no fat craze of the 90s. The only problem is that all the fat was replaced by high calorie sugar. Its just recently that any attention has been paid to the total amount of calories consumed. Total amount counts more than anything else.

Also, the food pyramid encourage by the government is the same percentages that feed lots use to fatten up stock.

Dan

 

[Pablo]

Dan4510 - BINGO!

 

[javacontour]

I think that could be true for some, those who don't look at the whole picture.

However, I believe we eat out more as a society, and this too contributes to weight gain.

Then there is the "just sitting around" factor...

 

[buster]

Pablo, you my friend brought in the word "liberal" which had nothing to do with it.

So don't tell me to stop insulting. Go sell some Amsoil vitamins and start reading the thread first before responding. You obviously didn't read what I wrote the first time.


I wasn't suggesting some huge government intervention here. When you buy a food product from a grocery store, it lets you know how many calories/fat etc. are in it. I like having this information bc I do care about what I eat. More and more Americans are going to have to be more aware of their health. One of the things we discussed in one of my Economics of Healthcare classes was how this country focuses so much on advanced technology. This ultimately drives up the cost of healthy care. It's great if you can afford it, but millions can't. It would be beneficial to apply the same rules to food products at stores, as it would be to menus at restaurants. It would be beneficial to apply the same rules to food products at stores, as it would be to menus at restaurants.

I like to know what I'm buying. The more info, the better. Those that invest should know this. Kind of like Amsoil...does it meet the specs or is it recommended for the specs?

Lets dissect what you said Pablo:

quote:

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People know what they are eating! For crying out loud buster!!

It's flaggin' spareribs, calm down. It tastes good....I'm assumimg - I've never eaten there. You know China eats some very high fat/oil items yet are not as fat and lazy and stupid as us? Well maybe stupid in other areas, but they simply don't eat all the baked crap and doughnuts and other sheet we gulp down with 48 liter bottles of carbonated concentrated sugar water. People know what they are doing.......

---

People DONT know what they are eating, hence my point in the first place. I just showed PF CHANG's (which I have eaten at several times prior to looking at the nut. info) to 3 other people today. They were floored by the fat content and won't eat there again. Seving sizes are also a problem. We eat too much. But I'm not trying to go in that direction and analyze the entire obesity problem. I'm suggesting a nutritional info. part to each dish you can order.

Someone said they call it junk food for a reason. haaa. Carrabba's and other decent chains are junk food then? I thought junk for was Doritos. lol. Someon also said it won't make a difference if the nutritional info. was there. I DISAGREE. I would turn down a dish that had 109 grams of fat.

[ June 19, 2006, 09:59 PM: Message edited by: buster ]

 

[JHZR2]

quote:

---

Originally posted by buster:
People DONT know what they are eating, hence my point in the first place. I just showed PF CHANG's (which I have eaten at several times prior to looking at the nut. info) to 3 other people today. They were floored by the fat content and won't eat there again.

---

As a thinking person, I know that when I go to a restaurant, Im typically NOT getting food that is cooked by mom to be both nutritious and good-tasting... Im getting food thats designed to taste as good as possible while costing as little as possible to make a huge portion to appeal to people.

I'd like to see nutrition info everywhere because on some instances, I might want to make a smarter choice. Will it effect where I eat? nope... will it effect how often I eat out? nope... will it effect my workout regimen before I eat there (if it was planned in advance? yes.

It is easy enough to realize how restaurants design their menus typically. Its easy enough to learn what is good and what is not... and between that, a little common sense, and very litle caloric breakdown data, its easy to make the right choices without even changing where you go to eat!

JMH

 

[sprintman]

http://www.mcdonalds.com.au/

Macca's give you all the info you need on everything they sell. even have brochures in the restaurants wih all the info you need to choose sensibly. No excuse to make bad choices.

 

[buster]

quote:

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I'd like to see nutrition info everywhere because on some instances, I might want to make a smarter choice

---

..and that my friend is exactly the point. I can assure you that many, not all, would shy away from some dishes like the Orange Peel Chicken that had 109 grams of fat and 1,500 calories.

 

[Pablo]

Same here, sprintman. Chain restaurants all print their info on brochures. It's just that people such as buster and his ignorant friends don't seem to know it. It's even ironic that he posts a restaurant's nutritional info and then he pokes fun at it.....PF Changs does it, MD's, Jack, BK, KFC, PH, they all do - and have for more than 20 years!!!

- are people getting thinner???

To make matters worse he brings Amsoil into it. Why? That really tells me he's lost any points he had in the first place. No, buster you were just suggesting all restaurants be forced by the government to supply nutritional information.

So what about the folks just struggling to start a new restaurant at all odds against the mega chains? All the desserts? The special Greek salad? The homemade mannicoti? The yaki tori? The need to research, perhaps pay a lab or just estimate and print for each special dish? Forced by the government? Please think of whom you would punish - and what the outcome would be. Do you really think people heed those brochures? Please buster - good restaurants seem to be getting scarce let's not make it harder on the little guy.

Bottom line - you have yet to convince me that your "good idea" will help a thing. It's all these "good ideas" that have put a stranglehold on our country buster - it's not a liberal or conservative thing - we don't need more laws!! We need people to think and act responsible about their own health.

 

[JHZR2]

quote:

---

Originally posted by buster:

quote:

---

I'd like to see nutrition info everywhere because on some instances, I might want to make a smarter choice

---

..and that my friend is exactly the point. I can assure you that many, not all, would shy away from some dishes like the Orange Peel Chicken that had 109 grams of fat and 1,500 calories.

---

See, but the keyword in my post was 'might' No guarantees that I wouldnt still get it. It was a known before I saw the nutrition that it was bad for me, it is just quantified now. The difference? none really - if I have an appetite, Ill get it, if not then not. The only difference is how much extra I feel I need to push myself in the gym.

But all the same, McDonalds has tray covers that have all the nutrition facts on them... even when i was little, i remember looking at the brocheures that had the nutrition facts. Just because they are listed on the boxes and tray coverings at mcdonalds does not mean that folks dont still readily eat LOTS of supersized big macs and french fries.

IMO, only the people that care will heed nutrition facts, and those folks cared before they were published too. People who gain interest because they all of a sudden have numbers posted will likely loose their interest as quickly as they loose their new year's resolutions.

JMH

 

[javacontour]

It's not that hard to figure nutrition information for a recipie.

I took my baked bean recipie, and gave it to Oilbabe. She found a website where you put in the ingredients, and method of cooking, and how may servings this made, and it determined information such as fat grams, calories, and points for those on the Weight Watchers points system.

We have the data already for raw materials, just fill in the quantities and the number of servings produced and you can calculate the nutritional information.

 

[jsharp]

quote:

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Originally posted by GROUCHO MARX:
Outlaw ice cream I tell you!

---

When they pry that scoop from my cold dead fingers...

 

[buster]

For people that know a decent amount about food, it's not really a problem. But putting the info on the menu would definitely help. Several chains have the info. on their website, which is great. You don't think I know that? I just posted a link to PF Changs...lol! But even better would be to disclose it on the menu itself. Pablo, people won't be responsible about their own health, which is a shame. I believe I heard on the news recently that many other chains will keep this information at the restaurants rather than just the webpage.

[ June 20, 2006, 12:16 AM: Message edited by: buster ]

 

[Not the Autorx Frank]

I'm waaaaaayyyyy late in the game here but Buster, OMG give it a rest. If people want to blubberize, what concern is it of yours? Maybe they like large hanging jowls. There are several books that have every fast food nutritional info known to mankind in them. If its important to you, go buy one and mix in a salad

 

[Shannow]

I still stand with buster in that people need to have the information available to make better choices.

As sprintman said, Maccas have a leaflet that (interested) people can look at, before they decide whether to buy a Big Mac, or a McOz.

Family resteraunts don't have to get a NATA laboratory certification, but could improve their descriptions a bit..as simple as "dressing contains approximately 1 tbsp Olive Oil", or "deep fried in hydrogenated cotton seed oil". French places are happy telling you that they only use the best rendered duck fat...that helps decide

I know that I can try a place and a dish, then decide not to order that dish again, and we often do. A bolognese pasta swimming with rivelets of fat on top is vastly different to a well cooked dish. But on the menu, they are currently the same.

I'd like some transparency personally.

And yes, occasionally I make some gumbo, with a recipe that starts "start with a cup of lard"..."fry meat in lard"..."make lard back up to 1 cup"..."make roux". It's nice gumbo, but I use what I know about the rest of the stuff that I shove in my face to decide how often I make it.

Lardarses will ignore everything, and still hoe into deep fried Mars Bars, Triple crust cheese filled pizzas etc.