[futurepilot]

New Yorkers try to swallow calorie sticker shock - Diet and nutrition - MSNBC.com


Basically in New York theres a new law that makes restaurants post the calories in each item, it including drinks i believe.

I for one think its an awesome idea. Most people have no concept of caloric intake, and they get mislead by a thing like McDonalds salads which are worse than the burgers.

[Nightwanderer]

Dude,
I hope other states follow suit! Absolutely no one in reasonable health with no thyroid/diabetes/metabolism issues would have an excuse to be fat anymore, the overall health of the nation would improve, and athletes would have an easier time tracking their diets when buying pre made or pre packaged foods, it would be a win/win imo.

[futurepilot]

Exactly, I think if it was put into effect nationwide it would have a profound effect on our culture as a whole. People might actually start paying attention to what goes into their bodies.

I was at a startbucks the other day and this lady orders a 6 pump vanilla caramel macchiato. Those six pumps of vanilla add an extra 420 calories on top of whatever else is in there, plus the scone she ordered. I mentioned it to the guy making the drinks and he said people do that all the time. I think the people behind me heard me making the comments because they all ordered regular coffee, or drinks with skim milk, it was kinda funny. I like their pike's place roast because it was free on wednesdays for awhile. Now ill get a 4shot exspresso from time to time.


I also get crazy looks when im on road trips and everyone has to stop at McDonalds, ill order chicken mcnuggets and peel the breading off.

[Nightwanderer]

Originally Posted by futurepilot

Exactly, I think if it was put into effect nationwide it would have a profound effect on our culture as a whole. People might actually start paying attention to what goes into their bodies.

I was at a startbucks the other day and this lady orders a 6 pump vanilla caramel macchiato. Those six pumps of vanilla add an extra 420 calories on top of whatever else is in there, plus the scone she ordered. I mentioned it to the guy making the drinks and he said people do that all the time. I think the people behind me heard me making the comments because they all ordered regular coffee, or drinks with skim milk, it was kinda funny. I like their pike's place roast because it was free on wednesdays for awhile. Now ill get a 4shot exspresso from time to time.


I also get crazy looks when im on road trips and everyone has to stop at McDonalds, ill order chicken mcnuggets and peel the breading off.

ooh, see, I think you just mentioned the exact reason why this is very unlikely to become federal law, too many wealthy food/drink businesses wouldn't want people being dissuaded from buying their products because the disgusting calorie content info is right in front of their face, and I'm sure they'd find it in their interest to spend money making sure it never happened. You know what though? I think I'll actually write my governor, congressman, senator(s) etc about it and mention how NY's ahead of the game so to speak. If local gov't sees that an entire state now considers this worthwile, maybe the fitness community will have an easier time convincing the rest of the country to do something about america's diet issues.

[futurepilot]

Thats a good point, im not really sure how they got the law passed through with lobbyist how they are. But Starbucks is actually one of the first companies complying with the law. At least on food.

I was actually considering writing my senate representative, who happens to be....Barack Obama. I know enough health nuts, and they would most likely write in too, maybe he would pay attention, especially since its campaign time. I wonder how many people it would take for him to condsider it a worthy issue.

[Nightwanderer]

Originally Posted by futurepilot

I was actually considering writing my senate representative, who happens to be....Barack Obama... maybe he would pay attention, especially since its campaign time.

There's another set of people to ad to the list, presidential candidates and their relative perspective cabinet members, etc. I can write well, I would considering drafting a petition for this if someone can tell me how
signatures are considered valid for this thing. I know any idiot can sign a document, but I'm sure when it comes to getting politicians to take action there has to be some form of signature validation, etc.

[futurepilot]

Im willing to try.


http://www.ehow.com/how_2080927_lobb....html?ref=fuel

[CDB]

Of course the problem arises that the people who this would supposedly help have already demonstrated that they don't give a rat's ass one way or the other about calorie intake. It's not like it's been a secret. There's calories and macro breakdowns listed on all packaged food, the same packaged food that the target population still sucks down by the metric assload. There's been listings online for all chain stores for a long time, no difference has been made.

This law will do absolutely nothing to reduce the nation's waist line. The only way to do that is stop subsidizing poor eating habits by spreading the cost of the health consequences over the entire population. This law does nothing to remove the moral hazzard created by that subsidization, and so we can still be guaranteed an ever increasing number of fatties in the USA.

[futurepilot]

Originally Posted by CDB

Of course the problem arises that the people who this would supposedly help have already demonstrated that they don't give a rat's ass one way or the other about calorie intake. It's not like it's been a secret. There's calories and macro breakdowns listed on all packaged food.

Alot of people dont understand proper nutrition, i think you would be surprised at how many working class familys eat pizza every night and wonder why their getting fat. Now if that same pizza hut pizza came with a sticker that had the calories incl. which can be upwards of 4,000 calories and 100+ grams of fat. It think people would pay attention.

It would be even more useful at places like olive garden where one dish of pasta could be a 1,200 calories and 300+ grams of carbs.

[CDB]

Originally Posted by futurepilot

Alot of people dont understand proper nutrition, i think you would be surprised at how many working class familys eat pizza every night and wonder why their getting fat. Now if that same pizza hut pizza came with a sticker that had the calories incl. which can be upwards of 4,000 calories and 100+ grams of fat. It think people would pay attention.

You're wrong. If you're right, please explain why this hasn't worked with things like HoHos, RingDings, Twinkies, Doritos and other chips and their corresponding dips, etc., etc., etc. People are still flinging this sh*t down their throats at light speed, knowing the calories.

It would be even more useful at places like olive garden where one dish of pasta could be a 1,200 calories and 300+ grams of carbs.

You're ignoring two blatant facts which have a strong bearing: they either know the consequences of their eating habits and don't care enough to change them; or, they don't know that eating an entire grease soaked pizza a night is bad for them, in which case publishing the calories will do little to educate them.

These people have already demonstrated a preference for eating the way they do. That's why labels on processed foods have done diddly squat to change eating habits.

If you want people to change their habits don't mitigage the negative consequences of those habits, plain and simple. Let them face them, let them pay for them. The plain fact of the matter is after the calories are printed absolutely nothing substantive will have changed to alter these people's eating habits. They'll still be hungry, they'll still want McDonalds, and never ending bread sticks, and whoppers, etc., etc.

[futurepilot]

Originally Posted by CDB

You're wrong. If you're right, please explain why this hasn't worked with things like HoHos, RingDings, Twinkies, Doritos and other chips and their corresponding dips, etc., etc., etc. People are still flinging this sh*t down their throats at light speed, knowing the calories.

they either know the consequences of their eating habits and don't care enough to change them; or, they don't know that eating an entire grease soaked pizza a night is bad for them, in which case publishing the calories will do little to educate them.

Let them face them, let them pay for them.

First i dont think the vast majority if people dont know how to read nutrition labels, all they see is numbers. And if you grow up in a major city you might only have a corner store to eat from, which only sells...get ready for it...HoHos, RingDings, Twinkies, Doritos etc. And you wash it down with pop. I dont know your socio economic background but im guessing its not a lower income bracket. thats not too say i came form the ghetto, but i know people that live that life. I've had to educate my girlfriend, gave up on her family, about how nutty butters and kraft macaroni and cheese werent food groups.

If your raised by a single mother, whose gone more than shes home you dont learn anything. And should a law like this pass it would without a doubt start a national discussion about diet. Since right now the only dicussion in the newsmedia seems to be: man everyones fat, heres Bob with the weather.

thats a great mentality too have, make sure to tell that to a fireman, or policeman next time you need help: My house is on fire, but dont worry ill just take this as a lesson to not live indoors anymore.

[Nightwanderer]

You're wrong. If you're right, please explain why this hasn't worked with things like HoHos, RingDings, Twinkies, Doritos and other chips and their corresponding dips, etc., etc., etc. People are still flinging this sh*t down their throats at light speed, knowing the calories.

That's just it, the same morons that eat whatever the hell they want because they either don't know how to read a nutrition label or don't care, are the same people who think it's ok to load up on junk food because they see bright, in your face logos saying 'no trans fat!' 'only X net carbs!', etc. They make no effort to read that stuff but they still notice it and use it to lull themselves into false security, just like the food companies want them to. So imagine if they saw the calories and fat content advertised in the same format. bright orange stickers that could be summed up as 'fatass on a bun!' stuck to the wrapper of a big mac, or a nice big 'diabetes in a cup!' slapped onto a fountain soda cup. You know, in the end I'm not writing a petition for obese sheep as much as I am for myself. This would benefit the entire fitness community, not just the over weight. Imagine how much easier it would be to stick to your diet when out with your family or on a date, vacation in a hotel, whatever. It wouldn't be so hard to be able to eat just about wherever anyone wants to go, and be able at the very least to be able to do yourself the least amount of harm possible. That's the bottom line for me. Someone wants to just ignore it and keep living the way they do? fine. But like I said before, having the info forced in your face leaves you with all the less of an excuse to pig out or mess up, whether your a fat cow or a ripped beast. I see no reason not to push for this.

[CDB]

Originally Posted by futurepilot

First i dont think the vast majority if people dont know how to read nutrition labels, all they see is numbers.

Then, pray tell, how is printing numbers which they have no idea how to interpret and which have demonstrably not helped them in other areas going to help them?

And if you grow up in a major city you might only have a corner store to eat from, which only sells...get ready for it...HoHos, RingDings, Twinkies, Doritos etc. And you wash it down with pop.

Once more, how will publishing calorie information change this aspect of the problem for anyone? Healthy food will not magically become more available, nor will anyone's ability to make decisions about what to eat, and more specifically about what they want to eat, be changed.

thats a great mentality too have, make sure to tell that to a fireman, or policeman next time you need help: My house is on fire, but dont worry ill just take this as a lesson to not live indoors anymore.

If I'm the one who set the fire, they should take that attitude. No 'national discussion' is going to help things. We've been having a 'national discussion' about a few trillion topics from drugs to education in this country for decades, and there hasn't been a positive change in any of these issues.

Your socio economic insights are oh so wonderful, and also completely irrelevant. Just like poverty doesn't cause crime, it doesn't cause ignorance of nutritional information. People choose how to live their lives. And the idea that printing the calorie content of a Big Mac on its wrapper is going to affect anyone's decision to eat it, given the fact that it's a wad of grease wrapped in simple carbs and only a moron wouldn't already know it was high in calories and generally not healthy, is ridiculous.

[CDB]

Originally Posted by Nightwanderer

I see no reason not to push for this.

I see no reason not to do it either. However I'm not deluded enough to think it will actually accomplish anything, which is enough of a reason not to bother for me. The same fat asses who have been ignoring the trillion calories listings on the partially hydrogenated bags of **** they've been eating for years will ignore these labels too. Nor am I particularly happy about yet another law designed to protect us from ourselves, whose enforcement my taxes will have to pay for, and which will accomplish little more than the continued subsidization of people's poor eating decisions.