Calorie counting in the restaurants
Hello everyone,
When I did hear that our Minister for Health would like to introduce calories counts on the menus in the restaurants I did not know if I should laugh or get angry – will they ever learn? At fisrt I really thought if was a joke, but it is becoming reality…
I can’t find anything positive on this action, but I can see a lot of danger in this suggestion, especially for people with ED, I think this could be very, very harmful and dangerous step, which can caused a lot of setbacks and anxieties and maybe even to stop people going to the restaurant.
Please could you let me know your opinion?
Looking forward to hear from you
Marie
To be honest, I dont know whether to laugh of cry about this! I spend years brainwashed and it damaged my mental and physical health and now recovered, I find this prospect disheartening. I was in America two years ago and anywhere we went to eat there was calories, to be honest it just put me right off. I found myself not wanting to eat it because i felt sad within, like I worked hard to rid those thoughts and now society is trying to introduce them again. Personally for me, i just dont think I could eat in places that display calories, altough i eat well and am free around food, seeing calories straight in my face is just tiring. Recently I have noticed that diets are becoming more and more accepted and I suppose the most disheartening of all is a very close friend of mine who knows my journey but buys into diets and guess what her fav programme is at the minute Operation Transformation. She even said to me one day, god I would go through the pain of x diet to look like that. I thought I was gonna vomit when she said it. what is the world coming to and the sad thing is i love her to bits, she is a wonderful person but she is a teacher, is this what we are teaching our children. I love my friend but I wouldnt want my children being taught by her! Anyway the whold calorie thing on restuarants, well screw it, it angers me, god knows I spend long enough learning to re eat and see food as nourishement etc and now its bloody numbers. At least I am now at a place where I am past all that but I thinnk of me a few years ago, society telling me one thing and MArino antoher. I saw what calories did to me and I would rather screw the whole thing and do my thing, listen to me.
Hey Marie,
For me, this disgusts me, this is exactly how to make a bad situation even worse.. eating out is unpleasant enough without havin it dominated by a litle number on a menu. People wont choose food they like anymore, and this makes me sad, it makes me sad that our whole society is going to be influenced now.
When i first heard this i was like YESSSSSS.. no actually that wasnt me, ED was like YESSSSSSS. BUt when i think about it, its juts gonna lead to even more stress with regards to eating out.
I discussed this with a friend and she told me i only felt like this becuse i am the ''way i am'' with food, she thinks its much needed, and people will be more educated and careful with their food choices. So i guess although some people find it negative, but alot also see positives in it. She told me to see the bigger picture, that although its gonna be terrible for ''people like me'' the rest of the country will benefit from it.
Interesting and contreversial subject...
hi
i was kinda shocked when i heard this and even me dad is shocked about it i don't think they will learn for a long time what they are actually doing but the government haven't a clue what they are doing anyway.personally from all the work i have done in recovery and on myself calories don't matter to me so i don't think this will affect me thank god.however i do feel for people who this does affect and i really hope it does not come out.
dining out is supposed to be an experience a laugh peaceful fun laughing joking amongst good food conversation and friends but i can just imagine what the conversations are going to be about which is off-putting really because majority of people i know are on diets and all that bulls.... so i guess its not to get sucked into these conversations either........anyway i don't know how they are going to have accurate calorie content as portion sizes are not measured truly accurately and they are only TYPICAL VALUES so its not precise measuring so its again bulls.... that's my opinion of the whole thing :)
If this is a tool to combat obesity, it is doomed to failure, and SOOO wrong on many fronts.Maybe the good doctor(Minister) is being ill advised by highly paid researchers/advisers, that need to justify their jobs. We do not need to re-invent the wheel here. For decades the U.S.A has battled the problem of obesity by focusing on diet and exercise, and have failed beautifully.All the professionals are now looking at a totally different approach.Do not insult the people of this nation again. Do not under estimate their intelligence. Focusing on symptoms does not cure the illness. As a doctor, I would have thought Dr. Reilly would appreciate this fact. Putting calories on menus will be the equivalent of pouring petrol on a fire. This will only cause people to feel more guilt, increase stress, and anxieties,resulting in increased problems at both ends of the (forbidden)scales. As a dad of a child, now recovered from an ED, I hope that this initiative will not be introduced. It will cause so much pain, and will not solve any problems. Yes obesity is a problem that needs serious action. That action needs to be more about the underlying problems rather than just the old ways of diet and exercise.Thankfully,as a family we enjoy a meal out occasionally, and will continue to do so. But like everyone else more than 90% of our meals are at home - no calorie counting there - will I need to write the calories for each meal at home in the future courtesy of BIG BROTHER REILLY
Great Debate!
I do not know where to start with this. This step is really telling us that we should choose our foods with our minds and not our bodies. It is encouraging the huge problem many of us have in this country, even those who do not suffer from ED and that is the Body-Mind Disconnection. Taking a step like this re-enforces the thought we should all make decisions by what we think we SHOULD have rather then listening and feeling our senses and make a decisions where we are fully present and ask ourselves what WOULD we like. With Restriction comes Obsession and this step merely encourages this and will make it an even problem.
I need to put up my boundary for this one as I am trying not to let it anger me too much, we each need to take the step to protect ourselves by such silly notions and suggestions.
Does anyone know the exact rate at which their body burns certain calories? Are we not all unique, between different metabolic rates, different activities? Are we to believe that this list applies the exact same way to your body as it does to mine?
I think not!
Jacqueline xx
I heard about this last week on Sky News i think it was. Didn't think it was going to happen in Ireland.. I don't really know what to think about it. If every restaraunt you go into has the calories of every single item in full view i'd be lying if i thought it wouldnt effect me. Of course if you're undecided between getting one food or another seeing the calories is going to make that decision for you? Or more so condition will make that decision... Really think it's the worst thing that could happen and push people especially who have an ed to avoid eating out at all which is something i think is part of recovery to get back into eating in public and socialising..
I am disgusted that this idea would even be considered. It's bad enough that they already do it in some fast food resteraunts which are full with mainly highly impressionable children but to have it in all resteraunts is crazy. Unfortunately going for a meal is hard enough for someone suffering from ED but it is actually supposed to be an enjoyable and sociable experience which will be completely ruined by the introduction of such a policy.
Eating by numbers is not what eating out is about. When peopke go to resteraunts it's to relax, have a break from cooking, catch up with people etc but I know in my experience it's to try new things, taste foods which you normally wouldn't have at home and all of that will be gone because we will choose food not for adventure but by the calorie content.
It's nearly pre programmed into all of society that you should always choose the lower calorie option and who cares about actual taste or enjoyment. I can nearly picture walking into a resteraunt and seeing mostly garden salads in front of everybody and then feeling that I had better order the same for fear of seeming greedy.
Having the calorie content doesn't take into account that some foods are more satisfying to hunger than others- say for instance you order some form of low calorie meal in favour of a proper dinner with double the amount of calories, chances are you may still be hungry after the low calorie option but with the dinner you will be satisfied and nourished and sure you may be so satisfied that you can't finish your meal anyway so calorie consumption is more or less the same anyway. As Jacqueline said also people digest different foods different ways so all of that has to be taken into account.
This country is miserable enough at the moment with all of thecrecession talk and going out for meals is a luxery that most can't really afford and the government want to ruin that too.
Andrea
Hi Marie,
I'm getting a little dejected at the moment by all the media time and promotion giving to "monitoring" the nations wasteline and "controlling" our calorie intake in an effort to avoid the supposed epidemic of obesity that engulfs the country at present. I think the media and the medical profession are being a little overdramatic at times with the language they use aroung the whole issue of public health and obesity and what the future looks like for the younger age groups. Operation transformation last week actually had a class of senior infants assess the best place to put the calorie count of meals on the menu of a popular fast food outlet!! Do young school children really need to know the calorie count of these meals? The viewer and the company in question(I bet) were subjected to total emotional manipulation - and I bet the company ceded to this pressure and agreed to put the calorie count of meals on the menu even though it will probably mean reduced sales.
I feel we are going to get to the stage where people will begin policing each others choices from the menu when they go out to eat (oh look she's ordering chips that's a lot of fat calories, etc) And I for one do not need to be reassured by calories any more - I am at the stage now where if I want something to eat I have it - the obsessive filtering of good/bad - allowable/off limits -fat foods/skinny foods they just do not enter into my conciousness any longer when I decide what to eat and I eat much better for it!! My food choices are the right ones for my body and its nutritional requirements at any given time and I have learned to trust my body and am getting along well. I absolutely love going out to eat with family and friends, its one of the aspects of recovery that i really appreciate and enjoy - I want to continue to enjoy it and not have the feeling that someone at the talbe is adding up my calorie count even if I'm not.
Gosh, you are all so so right, what else can I add to this discussion?
Somehow, looking at this bigger picture...it looks like our society has full blow ED, loads of red thoughts in society's brain.
Seems that we are the green thoughts, right?
Yey, I will be a green thoughts for the rest of my life...
let's all be green thoughts in society and create many more...
xxx Robin xxx
In my entire medical career we never had 1 lecture on nutrition
FULL STOP
CASE IN POINT
NEITHER DID MY PARENTS BOTH GPS
NEITHER DID MOST DOCTORS I KNOW....
THE DIET INDUSTRY IS MAKING EVERY1 THINK CALORIES= HEALTH BUT IT HAS NO BASIS
This panics me. I struggle with restaurants as it is.
Yesterday I went to Starbucks with my mum and sister. I hadn't realised before that calories were on stuff. Suddenly I found myself unable to choose any of the baked things because the calories were screaming at me. So mum and sister got yummy things and I found myself paralysed. I had nothing.
Usually when I am in a cafe I am able to get something because I didn't have the calories thrust in my face. Not anymore it seems. I also found the calories written beside the different hot drinks. So naturally that scared the shit out of me. And unfortunately condition decided which hot drink I would have :(
So as someone who is still stuck at the bottom step of recovery, I find this calories in restaurants malarkey to be a terrible idea. And will really really add more stress to me if I go to a restaurant. In fact I probably will just avoid eating out fullstop.
Its the same kind of insensitive approach that the 'Safefood' advert takes, asking us all to measure our waists...One thing I have learnt over the years (and it took a LONG time to come to terms with) is that very few people actually understand the hurt and emotion behind coping with ED - it's not that they intend to be harsh...they just DON'T understand. Really though, I think this point needs to be made, LOUD and STRONG to the Minister and to Europe.
As a teacher I find this is absolute nonense what governments are tryin to inTroduce. I think it will further enhance the obsession we have on food, diet & weight. Can you imagine in cavemen times when they had the best diets ever around.. A sign around d neck of each animal they were hunting with saturated fat content!!?? I mean come on this really highlights lack of understanding it is like the low fat revolution where people hav actually chosen or been forced to not listen to their bodies & eat junk filled artificial sweeteners all the time which has led to a lot of problems..this will just mean obsession, deprivation & constant boring talk about calories estc. A calorie is a unit if ENERGY..
I just find this terrible for those who r vulnerable, my condition we'd hav loved this years ago but now my freedom is v aggravated with this, I like many of u have spent years & a lot of money trying to increase mind body connection & self belief I'm not gonna let a society who in no way can measure exactly wat my body needs in any meal dictate any longer wat I should/shouldn't have
Love butterfly xx
Hi Everyone,
Personally, I think it is a disgrace .Are we taken for fools ?We all know It is not going to resolve any problems, it is definetly not going to resolve poor nutrition choices. They should maybe learn from the French ( I am French ), we do not have that In France. And we are managing very well with our eating Habits.The French health cabinet have been running many compaigns in france to teach people to make smart choices with food to avoid any health complications.The Focus has been on given the needed and appropriate knowledge to consummers to help them with good nutrition for good health.................Maybe the Irish should sign a petition to stop this from happening ? Anyway,This is my opinion...............Take care, Patricia
This is just another stupid measure by the Minister to make it look like something is being done about the 'obesity' epidemic. And, it's a waste of time anyway. Notwithstanding the inaccuracy of the whole process, few people are going to let the calorie count dictate what they order when they dine out. McDonalds has actually proven this because they have been obliged to provide this information for a number of years now. All this will do is add stress and take away from the enjoyment of eating out.
Did you see the article about the recommendation that sugar be taxed? Another crazy idea! What would the boundaries be? What type of sugar? What foods would it target? Should it include fruit and vegetables? Should it include breastmilk which has natural sugars in it.
If anything, they should address the unethical and profit-at-all-costs philosophy of food manufacturers.
Or what about it now being illegal to be overweight in Japan - your company gets fined it your waistline exceeds a particular size.
These are nothing more than PR stunts to cover up the fact that society does not permit us to be in touch with ourselves any more.
Hey there
To be honest, this really scares me. When I went into the pharmacy to get some ensures the other day, while I was waiting at the counter there were three HUGE boxes right there in front of me. In the boxes were the free measuring tapes you can now get to measure your waistline from that add on TV. And almost immediately without me even realisng it at first I was in my head counting numbers, imagining what number my waistline would measure at and resolved when I got home to include more exercise in my life. Luckily, I woke up a bit when the lady handed me my ensures.
But is this what is going to happen now when I go into a restaurant with friends??? it would totally ruin my evening, being in recovery I would only be concnetrating on one thing the whole night and even if I was fully free I think it would still ruin my evening because the whole time I would be completely angered and frustrated at this thoughtless initiative.
Thats what it is though. Its a thoughtless initiative, jumpng on the bandwagon like John said to fight the 'obesity epidemic'. well when have they ever jumped on the 'anorexia epidemic' or anything else of the sort. Never. This is completly thoughtless and this time next year it will fall flat on its face and us people will be the victim of it like so many other things in this country at the moment. This kinda reminds of the time we bought the electonic voting machines that cost millions and sit in the dail chambers collecting dust.
Blah- just another stupid plan that we always come up with to prove we are like other countries and taking action.
amanda
am inclined to wonder who is behind this initiative. I am by no means a conspiracy theorist but it is not just ED sufferers who do not want to see this come into effect.
So, are stakeholders in the diet industry (pharmaceutical companies, diet product companies...) influencing politics? Or are politicians trying to raise sensational, non-core issues to divert attention from the real issues (waiting lists, over burdened and under resourced A&Es, ineffective public health system administration etc)?
In conversation with a colleague (who is as good as oblivious of ED as far as I am aware), the topic came up. And she was as horrified as I was. Not out of concern over ED issues - again, oblivious - but as somebody who, like most of us today, only goes out to restaurants for a treat and does not want to spend her "treat" counting calories or weighing benefits. She just doesnt want the joy taken out of an additional treat.
This is a representative of the normal people that the minister appears to think he will be aiding in "the fight against obesity". This person really does not see this as an aid and does not want it. And I suspect her argument would ring true with an awful lot of people out there. The fact is, given the current economic state (or even just the idea of it) people are not eating in restaurants every day. Eating out is a treat. So let it be!
Finally, there is a difference between "information" and "data". Without context and knowledge, what is printed on a menu regarding nutrition can only be data, which is of absolutely no use whatsoever. Butterfly is a teacher, perhaps she could explain this better than I can...but if she were to present her class with a sheet of words and numbers written in a language that they do not understand or refering to an area of advanced quantum mechanics about which they know nothing, without any background or context, then it really would be of very little use to them.
http://queenscourier.com/2008/what-menu-labeling-laws-really-mean-24781/
Good article above from the states on the topic when it was introduced over there
Xx
i was just flicking there and operation transformation came on, they where talking about labeling food in restaurants and its got me angry and frightened. i know everyone has said the same here already. i think what frightened me more was all the support they have from people all over the country and how ruthless they are in that they want this to go through either but restaurants choosing to or been forced to. the guy talkin it it said it was ''for our childrens health''. im sorry what a load of shit. all this focus on rewarding people for been ''good'' and been fit something bout points on the leaving for fitness, just sounds like ed to me. i have spent so much money on recovery to learn who i am and (yet to be done) correct distorted eating habits and attitude to food and they want to teach this to kids?? reduce them to a number or the number of calories they decide to eat... it reminds of of a picture that says, girls dont simply decide to hate there bodies, we teach them too''. to me it seems that the people behind this well on this programme are transfering there fears and insecurities onto another generation instead of looking inside at what is really going on. and not to judge anyone by appearance but the guy talking bout it was hardly fantastic lookin himself yet he sees fit to tell us we should make better choices.... i myself have cousins who are very sensitive who at 7 and 13 comment on there weight and others and i would hate for them to even learn or be made aware of any numbers
even the idea of it scares me, i worry about anything i eat so the idea of a restaurant is still soemthing i have to face but now this i dont think i would even want to try.
ed aside i worry about people i know without ed, who i hear comment and our quite harsh on themselves for eating foods that are bad or not healthy, and what they are told they should, it affects everyone. but i also know people who enjoy food and eating out and treats etc and may not stop eating or whatever but it would annoy them.
Sorry i went on a rant its so infuriating though, im really working on this area and its so difficult and its so confusing when you are told one thing and see millions more insisting calories are the way to measure your food and worth. its meassin with me my recovery and my mind. it defo makes recovery ten times more difficult but also a chance to be an inspiration and show people that maybe just maybe they can ignore it and fight shit like this too.
anyway isnt this in america and dont they have a obesity problem??? is it really working?
grrrrr!!!!!!!
I have been contemplating whether to give my input on this thread or not, and hence why I am coming in late to the discussion.
Whilst I do not agree with this, I feel that now that I have been recovered for some time, I don't react emotionally as would have been the case in the past. I feel that the longer I am recovered, the less emotionally involved I become in such matters. I do feel it is important to educate people on what proper nutrition actually is - I know within my own family, I am told a lot of common misconceptions - a lot of people are stuck in a lot of what is well meaning advice, however that was the knowledge that was around in the 80's, and now there is a lot more more appropriate information available, if only people took the time to backup their arguments.
In love and light
Mystique
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Hello everyone, thank you so much for all your wonderful contributions. As Mez said: Very few people actually understand the hurt and emotion behind coping with ED - it's not that they intend to be harsh...they just DON'T understand…so so right, people do not mean it, and we need to learn to speak up, learn to debate and learn to have a voice. I have read one day that debating is as important as meditating… Yes, it helps to express and stop suppression, which is one of the reasons of developing ED.
As Margaret Mead said: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world that ever does.
In Recovery we are learning to be these important committed citizens who do have a opinion.
I am not sure yet if we change the world, but I am certain that we can bring more understanding about ED and Recovery and we can make it easier for the next generation , there are many people out there who are very willing to learn, maybe one day even the Minister
Thanks again, please keep it up, everybody's voice is very important ….
M:)
There is always a solution…:):):)