Wow, I hope no one would say that any attempt to change health-related behavior in the US is an impossibility! That would be really scary to me because (1) my entire professional life is dedicated to helping people become educated and empowered to make improvements to their wellness (a primary topic always being nutrition), and (2) that would be saying there’s no hope!

Although knowledge does not always lead to change, it is the basis for the process or journey toward change. If you don’t know smoking is unhealthy and you enjoy doing it, you have no reason to consider changing. If you learn that it’s unhealthy, you may still not change today, but the wheels have been set in motion in your brain (consciously and subconsciously) to be further influenced and/or developed to a point of (1) seeking more information (2) trying to change (3) asking for help….and more.

That being said, menu labeling won’t make everyone change. It will make some people alter their decisions. It will make people more aware and think more about the topic. In the long-run it is a small piece of a really big pie (the quest to make Americans healthier).

I have to believe every small effort makes a difference.

Lisa-Great points. I, too, think menu-labeling is a step in the right direction. People might have an inkling that that bacon double-cheeseburger probably isn’t the most healthy choice for them, but seeing exactly how unhealthy it is (calories, fat, carbs, etc.) might at the very least make them think twice about ordering it. Knowledge is power!

Oh, I would lovelovelove for the nutrition information to be available. 99 grams of fat is criminal! I have been watching ingredients more closely. We are now committed to not eating anything artificial. And unless you read the ingredient list, you never really know what something has in it.

Holly-exactly. At some point, everyone has been guilty of mindless eating (and mindless ordering at restaurants). If the information isn’t available, you will never know what’s inside the food.

I would LOVE it (and, when I last visited NYC…really, really LOVED it). I’m pretty health conscious and pay attention to what I’m ordering at restaurants, but there always seem to be “hidden” ingredients with the potential to render the healthy meal that I’ve ordered useless in terms of nutrition or calorie counting. My husband, on the other hand, could really use this information right next to the name and description of the item he’s considering ordering. He pays no attention and goes with the theory of “it’s what I was in the mood for”…regardless of the health implications.

I think that with everything, menu labeling won’t change our entire country, but for those that are looking to be more informed, it’s a great start. My hope is that the “wanting to be informed numbers” grow and people (in general) start paying attention to what they eat, how/why they’ve been convinced to eat such foods (i.e. the marketing from the food industry) and what changes they can make in their own lives to reverse the trend of unhealthy living that has gripped our country.

Amy-I would love it too. And I hope it extends to beverages too. I think it’s very easy to lose track of fat and calories when you’re drinking them instead of eating them.

My husband sounds very similar to yours. He orders without thinking of the consequences of what he’s eating, and “wants what he wants when he wants it.” His health has suffered for this behavior.

I think that the number of those wanting to be informed can grow if this information is available everywhere. As I wrote here, when I was eating Chicken Crispers, I was certainly not thinking of watching my weight or my fat or caloric intake, but perhaps if I had seen right in front of me exactly what I was eating, it would lead me to question my choices in restaurants from that point on.