Is it resturants that make american's fat?

There has been much debate about nutrition info and resturants.   Personally I think that basic nutrition info SHOULD be available on the menu.  Even if we all understand that it is a fair estimate it would help us make better choices while eating out.

In a recent thread some expressed shock after believeing they were eating right when eating out only to find that the healthy choice they thought they were eating was as bad as a burger. So let me ask - If resturants had to give you nutrition data at the point of purchase would it influence your decisions? In your prior - bad eating habits life - would it have influenced your decision? Do you think that having nutrition data available on menus would make significant headway in the obesity epidemic?

most diffinately!  It is so hard to find something other than "fajitas" to eat that aren't  full of hidden calories!  or a chicken sandwhich when you then have to take the chicken out and eat it without the bread and dressing cuz you don't know whats in the dressing LOL  I think it would help most health conscience folk.  All the rest will continue to eat away like I did lol JMHO, Sandra

So let me ask - If resturants had to give you nutrition data at the point of purchase would it influence your decisions? now - YES. I love the places that put a certified healthy choice insignia or define WW points or something. I do look when i am at McD's or Wendy's just for the reality check. When i do not know what the content is I eat less amount of food. I get what I want, but don't eat it all. In your prior - bad eating habits life - would it have influenced your decision? Absolutely NOT.  The goal of eating out was MORE FOR MY MONEY DAMMIT. BIGGER THE BETTER Do you think that having nutrition data available on menus would make significant headway in the obesity epidemic? NO, most people still want the bang for the buck...eating out is an adventure.  And to your first question..are restaurants making us fat...NO. WE eat the food.  No one has a gun to the head to go there. People hate to cook, or are too lazy. It's that simple. I feel that restaurants do not HAVE TO supply nutrient info.  It's a service for their customers.  If more people cared and asked for it, more businesses would do it.

Wow.... You know what?  You are right... in a sense.... We are the ones responsible...It is business for the restuarants... 

I wish that restaurants would "size down" the portions and cut the prices. We eat entirely too much at restaurants.  I know that we should divide our plates and take some home, but do we?  Most of the time.....Nooooooo! There are too many buffet lines and large plates of food for our own good.  It's hard for us to limit the amount we eat in those situations. Bren

I agree with your comment about portion size Bren, and I may well be shot down in flames for saying daring to say this... but I have Aussie friends who have either lived in the US or visited the US and their comments about American portion sizes are always the same.  Basically that two adults could share one American serve from a restaurant.

Nutritional information is good, but sometimes it's difficult comparing one item to another if they are of different weight.

As for Mc Donalds... I was travelling recently and the only dinner choice was Mc D or Mc D's as it was a roadside meal on a highway- I NEVER eat Mc D's.  Anyway, I thought I'd try their new healthy range so I ordered a Healthy choice tandoori roll.  My comment to my husband after eating it: "If I am ever in the position of having to have Mc D's again remind me that I would rather go hungry".

Em

Em, it was not always that way.  Public Health shows a statistical presentation on how serving sizes have grown in the States.  I still say that fact does not preclude the notion that families and schools are where children learn about portions sizes. I am in the child nutrition business and did not follow my own training.  i bought and served a bag of tater tots to my family of four - it served 12! I know I am not alone. We all tend to cook things we know our families love and do not mind the portion sizes. My mother would fry enough potatoes & chicken in Crisco (lard) for 16 people...7 of us ate. She owuld make two large pans of enchiladas...we would each eat like 4 of them, plus rice, plus beans, plus milk, etc. In my mind, the BIG change is we do not work as hard. Families have pretty much always eaten that way. Families do not let their children run the streets anymore like we did as kids.  The media has everyone PARALYZED in fear to let their kids out of sight, I think there have always been dangerous people. McD's has at least the apples, yogurt and walnut thingie lately.  That's what I get when trapped to eat there.  Maybe a small grilled wrap - the snack size one.

I honestly think its the resturants that make Americans fat! They use all kinds of oil, which makes us go back 'cause it taste so good.. But anyways, we've become so busy we have no time for a real home cooked meal so we just go to the nearest drive thur.... I don't know... I like fast food, I need to eat it less! I eat to much of it.

There has been much debate about nutrition info and resturants.   Personally I think that basic nutrition info SHOULD be available on the menu.  Even if we all understand that it is a fair estimate it would help us make better choices while eating out.

In a recent thread some expressed shock after believeing they were eating right when eating out only to find that the healthy choice they thought they were eating was as bad as a burger.  Yep.. That was me... with my Southwestern Eggrolls and salad.... So let me ask - If resturants had to give you nutrition data at the point of purchase would it influence your decisions?  HELL YEAH!!!!  Every meal on the menu ranges from 1500 to 2500 calories alone. So I make it a point to look up the meals calorie content prior to going to the reaturant so I can make a better decision In your prior - bad eating habits life - would it have influenced your decision?  HELL YEAH!!! Do you think that having nutrition data available on menus would make significant headway in the obesity epidemic?  HELL YEAH!!! Honestly... reaturants are into giving you twice the portions and in our mental we feel like we need to eat the whole thing.... especially if we are enjoying and it is good....

I do not believe that restaurants make Americans fat.  Going to a restaurant is a conscious choice.  There are plenty of fat people out there who can't afford restaurants.   However, the restaurants "beef up" their menu choices so that their items seem to have many more calories than ours do.

Even though I expressed shock at the amount of calories I consumed having a salad instead of a burger, my choice would have still been the salad as it is more in line with my program that I chose.

I think that having nutrtional information is not going to change the way people eat.  Let's face it, everyone knows that an apple is better for you than a cookie, but more people choose the cookie.