Sticker shock: That piece of coffeecake has 400 calories
Posted
Sep 03 2008, 02:59 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Because of a new law in New York City, "Frugal Zeitgeist" learned that the coffeecake she likes has a whopping 400 calories per slice, which makes her think twice about ordering it. Also, the bread basket option at her favorite brunch place has 1,100 calories. "For bread! Gaaah," she writes. (Or, as they say in northern Montana, "Uff da.")
The NYC law requiring chain restaurants to clearly display calorie contents on menus and menu boards was adopted to combat rampant obesity. (Similar rules are in the wings in San Francisco and Seattle.) But FZ's observations made us wonder: Is it possible that knowing the calorie content of the food we eat could have a positive effect on our bottom -- as well as waist -- lines?
For instance, Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom at Health Journal said you might choose to drink water when you see the number of calories in that super-sized soda, or that "an eight-piece bucket of KFC chicken (original recipe) with 1,700 calories might help you redo the math of how many people that bucket should feed."
Also consider the health care costs of overeating. Sean at Financial Ramblings writes that people with a higher-than-normal body mass index spend $1,748 more for health care a year, and extrapolates that every 300 surplus calories you consume increases your medical costs by $5.83. (People in Alabama have taken note. State employees there will begin paying more for health insurance in 2010 if they're fat.)
Not everyone thinks posting a calorie count for chain restaurant food is a good idea. "I feel almost bad for a muffin or piece of cake that has to sit in a window announcing how fat it is," wrote Michele Catalano at Pajamas Media. FZ says she doubts the new law will have a long-term health effect.
Hopefully, most consumers have more sense than that attributed to them by reader Wayne at The Wall Street Journal Health Blog, who wrote, "I bet most people will get the calorie count mixed up with the price."
