by Nobody Good

Created on: February 12, 2009

Yes, restaurants should absolutely be required to list calories and fat grams on their menus. Obesity is a national epidemic in the United States. Many people have no idea what the proper size portion is. They eat huge portions and do not realize they just ate over one thousand calories in one meal. If people in our country have any hope of losing weight then they need to get a better idea of what they are eating.

I have gone to a restaurant many times searching for something healthy and there were no calories on anything in the menu. If a restaurant does not want list calories for all of its items that is fine. It should do so for the "healthy" items though. If a customer does not find a "healthy" section then they should assume that nothing on the menu is good for the calorie conscious.

Listing the calories for healthy items will only boost the sales in a restaurant by allowing dieters the ability to eat at the establishment.

Listing calories in a restaurant is just a courtesy and not a law at the moment. I think it should become a law because it is no different then shopping at the store. When you shop at the grocery store virtually every item has its calorie content on the package.

It is our right as consumers to know what it is we are eating. All public eating establishments should also have to adhere to this policy.

I know that McDonald's did this kind of thing with their products. It did make me think twice about eating that five hundred and something calorie Big Mac. I am sure that this is why restaurants would not want to list their calorie content on the menus. They want to sell as much food as possible. When people see that the plate of fettuccine they are thinking of ordering has over 1200 calories and that cheesecake is going to add another 600 they are not likely to order as much. This is bad for business but good for our health. So, unless you own a restaurant you should not mind the calories being listed on the menu!

Overall, I am for calorie count on menus. It is good for people's health but I have to say that it does kind of ruin the fun though! They say that ignorance is bliss. I really wish I did not know that some of my favorite foods have outrageous calorie counts. Oh well, the truth is the truth and my health is most important. I am glad to be able to eat at places that list the calories so I can make a better choice for health's sake!

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