How can an eating establishment-restaurants, for example-contribute to a health goal that one desires to accomplish? One sure way to do so is to post nutritional information, including calories, fat content, and sodium, on restaurant menus. However, not only that the data would help the people who aspire to be healthy, but it will also encourage others to follow the path as well. Nevertheless, providing information on nutritional facts about meals on restaurant menus is beneficial to people interested in a healthy lifestyle. Unhealthful ingredients, such as fat and sodium, posted on a food menu can help fitness-inspired people recognize meals they should avoid and consider priorities. To furthermore understand this issue, the passage "Label The Meals," states, "Those customers consume an average of 400 fewer calories than they typically did prior to labeling." In other words, consequently due to the fact that the customers knew the difference between calories in different meals, they seemed to favor the meal with the least calories. Thus, the society would only benefit from such act(s). Moreover, the passage, “Label The Meals,” accentuates, “Armed with relevant information, …show more content…
Admittedly, this statement is not completely inaccurate. However, providing such information of meals is an asset that one should appreciate regardlessly. For instance, the passage, “We Don’t Need Labels,” states, “As recipes are modified and improved, more testing is needed.” In this claim, the author argues that the procedure of inspection and adjustment of the nutrition in a meal for the goal of enhancement requires more effort. Which is accurate. Although, for the cause that is being argued for, a lot of people would agree that the process is worth it In short, although the opposing point of view of the argument is present, it’s not entirely
First Zinczenko starts off with stating how kids are suing fast food restaurant and how parents are outraged. He explains how he has been in there shoes, growing up with split parents is not always easy. He started to put on weight; thankfully, he joins the navy in college. In where he learns to manage his diet. Throughout the reading he points fingers at the company more and more. According to Zinczenko, “There are no calorie information charts on fast food packaging, the way there are on grocery items” (Zinczenko,463).In other words, Zinczenko believes, fast food restaurants should label their food; he compares them to how grocery items have nutrional
Zinczenko shares his personal story about how fast-food restaurants such as Taco Bell and McDonald’s led to a weight problem during his high-school years. He claims that the ease of accessibility and lack of healthy alternatives make it all too easy to fall into the cycle of unhealthy eating. Zinczenko also contends that the lack of nutrition labels on fast-food products leaves the consumer in the dark about what he or she is actually consuming. At the time Zinczenko wrote his article, fast-food restaurants were not willingly disclosing nutritional values of their products. Today this has changed. Fast-food companies, including McDonald’s, have put the full nutritional information of their products directly on the packaging and wrappers. All other fast-food establishments either post it on the menu board (Panera), offer easy access to pamphlets containing all nutritional information of their menu in store, or have it easily accessible online (Taco Bell, KFC). I am sure that this is a helpful step forward toward educating the public as to what they are consuming, but has this new knowledge to consumers had a dramatic change toward ending obesity? No. People have always known that eating a Big Mac and fries with the giant soft drinks that McDonald’s and other chains offer is not healthy; putting the nutritional labels on these items has done little to nothing to stop people from eating these high-calorie meals. This again leads back to the point that people as consumers need to be more accountable to themselves and stop blaming others for what they willingly choose to put in their
For consumers who take their health into consideration when eating, calorie postings on menus will greatly impact their decision when making a food selection. (Diets in Review) The Food and Drug Administration has finalized menu labeling rules that will require calorie information to be listed on menus and menu boards in chain restaurants. The rules can also apply to vending machines and similar retail food establishments. Alarmingly, Americans eat and drink almost one –third of their calories away from their residence. If calorie information is given directly to consumers at restaurants, a huge change could be made in the lives of many Americans, by simply choosing to eat healthier. The menu labeling rule will apply to chain restaurants that
In conclusion, all aspects of food labelling, from nutrition facts to words and symbols, are all regulated to help provide consumers with accurate information about products. However, industry practices seeking to inflate product values through labelling or hide seemingly undesirable facts only serve to limit the consumers’ knowledge. Legislation attempts to deal with this, but food companies are still generally able to work around laws. If implemented correctly, the benefits of nutrition labelling according to the Food and Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC), " over the next 20 years will save $5 billion in health costs in preventing cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, according to a government study." (Starphoenix). Sadly, labelling is still used as a method of influencing sales and international trade rather than helping consumers make good purchasing choices.
Increased portion sizes have gone unnoticed by consumers unaware of their unhealthy actions and has become the trend because of its gradual incorporation in our eating habits. In just twenty years, significant differences among the sizes of products can be noticed and most often seen to have doubled(1). Not only are increasing portion sizes reaching dine-out style meals where hamburger, french-fry, and soda sizes are two to five times larger than originals, but they are making their way into the homes of our public. Recipes found in newer editions of Joy of Cooking, a popular home cookbook, shows fewer serving sizes coming from identical recipes of older editions. This can be explained to show that larger portion sizes are to be anticipated from the recipes.
For example, he states, “there are no calorie information charts on fast-food packaging, the way there are on grocery items,” and there are many companies that do not include detailed nutrition information (Zinczenko 196). This claim is certainly legitimate; however, restaurants have begun to provide calorie information on their products. The Food and Drug Administration now requires “chain restaurants with 20 or more locations to begin posting calorie information on their menus” (Aubrey 1). Even though the products may not be healthier, providing correct nutrition information is certainly helpful for consumers to make more informed
The food industry continues to be a major contributor to health problems in the United States and around the world. Currently, 13% of the world’s 671 million obese individuals live in the United States. (Kaplan) Some believe that it is the government’s responsibility to go to educate the people and then to further encourage them to make wise decisions on what they choose to eat. Others argue that it is the consumer’s personal responsibility to educate themselves and make a conscious decision about their food. After all, we have the freedom to do so. No one forces people to buy and eat the things that they do. But it would be naive and even outrageous to say that there are no extraneous factors counteracting a person’s will to make healthy
Restaurants have a greater possibility of getting more money if they have "special" nutritional labels. Many people dislike the food label, yet some people are for them. Labels would not benefit anyone because they are not always right, and they sometimes just want the state to give them As for their grade, yet it sometimes if negative to have new foods on the menu. A food has to be evaluated before put on the menu, therefore it would be even more complicated. The author proclaims, "But for the restaurant, it is a nuisance and a potential threat to their business. It means that before a new item goes on the menu, it has to be evaluated." This statement explains that before a new item goes on the menu trouble is beginning. Labels are no help they just bring in more money because prices get higher from healthy
Nutrition, I have learned plays a big part in our life. To be honest I was clueless about how much nutrition affected our everyday lives. I love going to the gym working out, now that I know what should go into my diet I think I will see a lot more improvement. I occasionally follow the latest diet fads because I believed it would be better for my health, but in turn it really hurt more than it helped! This Diet Analysis project has been extremely useful course because I can personally relate to it and can use much of the information learned to my daily routines. The Diet Analysis project was a real eye opener because it let me see what exactly I was putting into my diet.
Obesity is growing rapidly, therefore we must take action while we can. Portion sizes are becoming more and more immense. A Facts on File Article titled “Diet, Nutrition, and Wellness” discussed the growing problems caused by obesity. From going to McDonalds and getting a happy meal to going to subway and getting a footlong sub. Either way, it is changing our diets to eat more than we need which eventually, adds on a couple pounds (Diet). People who go to restaurants on a daily basis end up eating about one thousand calories a meal more than someone at some would (Diet). When most people go out to eat, even at a fancier restaurant, they are not worrying about how many calories their meal is, they are ordering whatever sounds good to them (Diet). Every now and then, that is okay bu...
There is no surprise that food is important in all aspects of our lives—it is shared amongst families, celebrated as a major part of our culture, and crucial to our daily routine that keeps us fit, healthy, and active. Today’s western culture glorifies a skewed perspective on how food is supposed to fit into our lives. Somehow this perception has led us to believe we no longer have the time or money it takes to prepare a wholesome, healthy meal that is shared at the dinner table with family. Instead, we are trained to want a meal that is fast, cheap, and easy. This meal is usually highly processed and filled with sugars and fats. This has led us to a problem of epidemic proportions characterized by the rapid increase in obesity and diabetes.
Subway has just become the biggest fast food franchise in the United States. They advertise a healthy menu full of all natural ingredients. However a recent experiment by the Journal of Adolescent Health found people consume almost the same amount of calories at Subway as McDonalds (Lesser). Subway is not the only fast food advertising healthy options however. Despite the unhealthiness of fast food, these chains do offer some benefits. Natalie Stein,a writer for the live strong foundation, who focuses on weight loss and sports nutrition points out some crucial benefits of fast food. Stein acknowledges the convince of fast food in her article “What Are the Benefits of Fast Food?” She believes that having fast food restaurants on almost every corner is a good thing. This might be a good thing to some people, but what is too much? The conveyance of fast food chains has driven out grocery stores and ruined a chance at a healthy diet. With obesity growing in the United States maybe it’s time to rethink the actual conveyance of fast
Food is a major part of everyone’s everyday life. It’s hard to imagine life without the chocolate cake on your fingers or a carne asada taco in your mouth. Enjoying delicious desserts and fast food seem extremely magnificent to eat and spend money buying them. Although, there have been many controversies in the United States on how it’s the largest country with the most obesity regarding children, which affects their health, many people are still going throughout their day snacking. Many people in America are having full course meals with thousands of calories in one sitting not knowing the short term or long term side effects that are going to take a huge toll on their lives. Food is delicious, but it comes with a secret behind the savoriness/sweetness.
New nutrition laws are being created to help familiarize people with the high amount of calories in fast food. California was the first state to make a law requiring the calorie count of food to be posted on the menu boards (“Judge” par. 15). On July 1, 2007, the New York City Board of Health created a new regulation which requires the calorie count of the food to be on fast food menus (“New” par. 2). The New York State Restaurant Association is currently fighting to reject this law (“Judge” par. 2). The idea of putting the amount of calories on fast food menu boards is currently spreading...
Food is a great obsession to human beings; it also can say something about us beyond what we decide to put in our mouths. Michael Pollan’s research shows that we are not really eating healthy we are convenient eaters. We much prefer quantity over quality, and this is the reason why we have an issue with obesity today, however, eating doesn’t have to be complicated. Yes, we need to worry about how we eat but not to the extent where it is unhealthy. Food is everywhere it’s a part of our lives. Without it we wouldn’t survive, but are we taking the easy way and eating too unhealthy? Is eating unhealthy all we have really known? What can our food choices say about us, beyond what we choose to put into our mouths? Is being defined by our food a bad thing? How does Social Media influence how we eat?