Should Restaurants Be Held Accountable for Calorie Claims???

An article by Isaac Wolf, Scripps Howard News Service, was found at Seattlepi.com. You can find the article here. I highly recommend you take a few minutes to read and evaluate his findings.

To say I was disappointed was putting it mildly. I felt angry and betrayed and was particularly interested in the comments and feedback of the Seattlepi.com readers and those from a recent Discussion Topic post on DailyStrength.

Here are some observations that have left me feeling dazed at the opinions of various subsets of those speaking out about this topic. Would DEFINITELY love to have your feedback left here in hopes of better understanding the feelings of those of us this directly affects.

Seattlepi.com Readers - My analysis of the reader commentary is subjective and based on the 56 comments posted at the time of this writing. It is also based on my assumption that these readers would represent a cross-section of the general public with the same general range of body sizes found in today's society.

*30% found that the consumers are responsible
*25% found the restaurants to be responsible
*16% found both consumers and restaurants should share in the responsibility
*29% made comments that could not easily be placed in the categories above

I was surprised and disheartened that more readers seemed to hold the consumers responsible for the calorie content than they did the various restaurants who actually prepared the food

Imagine this thought process applied to your local gardening center:

*You purchase lawn fertilizer (advertised to be a nutritional supplement to your yard like food is to our bodies)

*You apply it to your yard as recommended (like consumers select and consume food to nutritionally feed their bodies)

*The lawn fertilizer contains more chemicals than advertised (like the food containing higher calories and fat content than what is printed on the menu)

*The concentration of chemicals in the fertilizer burns your lawn (like the restaurant food hampers your weight loss or healthy eating progress) OR destroys your lawn (like the calories destroy our weight loss efforts and the additional fat clogs our arteries)

Probably the most disturbing comment I read was from cark1c who stated "I'm a cardiologist in private practice so your abhorrent lifestyle provides payments for my kids' college, dentures, my boat payments etc." and ended with "more money in my pocket. Keep those clogged arteries coming!"

DailyStrength.com Discussion Topic Readers - My analysis of the reader commentary is subjective and based on the 32 comments posted at the time of this writing. It is also based on my assumption that these readers would represent those dedicated to addressing their weight by making healthier choices or making a concerted effort towards weight reduction.

* 0% found that consumers should be responsible
* 25% found the restaurants to be responsible
* 19% found both consumers and restaurants should share in the responsibility
* 56% made comments that could not easily be placed in the categories above

I found it interesting that this group held the restaurants responsible in the same percentage as the general public and very closely represented the percentage of consumer and restaurant shared responsibility (2% difference). However, these readers did not blame themselves solely and, in fact, had lively and varying topics of discussion (56%) that either explained the difficulties of portion control, human error, or offered assistance in achieving successful weight loss and the transition to a healthier lifestyle.

Is it any wonder that we recommend these supportive, caring social networks as a component of successful weight loss?

Here are a few questions that have arisen. Please SOUND OFF! Click on the "comment" section below this lens and provide your feedback. Let's see what OUR opinion is on this subject!!!

-Should restaurants be held accountable for the calorie and fat content advertised on their menu?

-Should this be regulated?

* Seattlepi.com reported County, Restaurants Strike Deal on Menus - Nutrition data required only at largest chains (by Cherie Black, P-I Reporter)

* The Center of Science in the Public Interest reported that Judge Upholds NYC Law Requiring Calories on Menus & Menu Boards - Ruling Paves the Way for More Cities, States to Give Restaurant Diners Nutrition Information

-Do you hold yourself accountable for the calorie content when eating out, despite the menu labeling? If so, how can you do so without definitively knowing the exact ingredients or quantities used?

-Should chain restaurants, by their size and/or national presence, be held to a higher standard than your local mom and pop restaurant?

-Are restaurants legally liable for their calorie claims; could it be considered as defrauding the public?

-Is it as simple as human error?

-Do you know the laws in your state or county?

-Helpful suggestions?

Here are a few things that may help you when eating out.

Call ahead to discuss healthy options and how food is prepared

Review the menu online and make a decision based on what you KNOW about food preparation and calorie content; i.e. grilled better than fried, plain better than breaded, etc.

Order condiments on the side so you can control portion size

Order a "to go" container to accompany your meal; divide it in half before you start eating and take the other half home for another meal

Give yourself a free meal; know you will consume more calories than healthy and accept the consequences. You can adjust your home cooked meals before and after this to lessen the effect.

Implement intuitive eating techniques by ordering any entrée you want, even the most decadent, and eating only 3-4 bites of each item. In this manner you satisfy your craving but exercise control by realizing the craving is satisfied with those few bites and any further eating is truly indulgence.

Hold true to your dream, stay steadfast in your determination and never, ever give up. YOU CAN DO THIS AND EXPERIENCE YOUR SUCCESS!

Sunshine wishes and much success.