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Standing in line at a Starbucks in New York I had an epiphany. According to the calorie count on the menu board I was about to drink 400 calories worth of mocha almost a quarter of a healthy calorie intake for an entire day!

As a nation, America has really let itself go. In 2007 obesity rates were over 25% in 30 American states and over 30% in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Obesity enormously increases health related risks including heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

The epidemic is getting worse and the fallout will become more apparent in coming years as obesity related diseases further strain the health care system the government, and in the end, the tax-payers that support that system.

Ignorance might be bliss but it is slowly killing us and it has become obvious that we can no longer be trusted to take care of ourselves. Whether you blame poverty, bad parenting, food retailers or the advertising industry it is clear that it is time for an intervention on a grand scale. American restaurant menus already carry warnings about the mercury content in seafood and the effects of eating undercooked meat.

Why shouldn't we receive the same warning about how fattening the food is when the health impact is just as great? The information absolves the restaurant of any potential liability and provides customers the freedom to make their own choices.

New York City's calorie count law, introduced in April 2008, requires chain restaurants with more than 15 locations nation-wide to post calorie counts with their menus. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the law is already having an effect: people are switching to lower calorie items restaurants are running out of low calories options much earlier in the day.

I've had some introspective moments of my own since that day in the Starbucks and am making an effort to modify my eating habits. The problem is, without carrying around a calorie guide or memorizing the Weight Watchers hand book, I have no idea how much I really eat in a day. In the back of my head I know that when I eat at a place like the Cheese Cake Factory, where the "diet" salads include lashings of creamy dressing and blue cheese, I'm probably getting a week's worth of fat, salt and sugar. And that's why eating there is still a treat.

I started the new year with an experimental calorie count. According to the packaging, my breakfast and morning snack (orange juice, toast and jam, mini low-fat yogurt and plain latte) added up to over 900 calories. That was half a healthy daily intake gone before lunch! I lunched at a local Mexican chain and finished the day with a work dinner that included some shared nachos, a bowl of chili and a chocolate margarita. I have no idea what the final count would have been. I'm certain it was huge. I'm also certain that if those chains had displayed some nutritional information I would have rethought some of those choices.

So is a mandatory calorie count enough? It'svery easy to say that responsibility for food choices rests solely with the eater. However it's not fair to place that responsibility on people who don't have the necessary information to make good choices, let alone a grasp on the basics of nutrition. It is not enough just to know about calorie counting. People need to understand the basics of a healthy diet.

How many servings of fruit and vegetables are you getting? Will this give you the recommended daily intake of vitamins and fibre? Is there too much salt, fat or sugar in these foods?

College level education doesn't necessarily have any relationship to a person's knowledge of basic nutrition. I know college educated people who grew up eating at least one meal a day from a take-out chain, and drank cool-aid or soda because it was cheaper than milk. Some of them made it well into their 20s before they ate fruit that didn't come out of a can or potatoes that weren't out of a packet.

Obesity rates are linked to poverty, and the types of food that people can afford to eat. It is unfortunate that cheapest foods are heavily processed, high in calories and low in nutrition. Fries, sodas, pizzas and anything deep fried is almost certain to fill you up, keep you going and cost a lot less. Large chain restaurants cater specifically to the lower socio-economic demographic. Why spend $15 on the ingredients for a salad when you can get five burgers from the Wendy's or Burger King dollar menu and feed the whole family?

Compulsory calorie counts on restaurant menus will not be an easy sell. Restaurants in New York City campaigned hard against the laws; no doubt fearing that they would lose business as a result. Understandably there are costs involved in setting up the calorie count system that would hurt small businesses. Here in the land of the franchise, where there is a McDonald's or Starbucks on every corner that is less of a concern. The New York system only requires chains with 15 or more stores to participate, reducing the impact on small business.

The scheme could provide a huge public relations boost for restaurant chains. McDonald's Australia has updated their menus to keep up with changing consuming demands. They have been offering salads and healthy children's options for years, and even run campaigns promoting menu items that have received the "tick of approval" from the Australian Heart Foundation.

The obesity intervention has a long way to go. Providing consumers with knowledge is the first step towards changing their relationship with food. The next step is to ensure that healthy options are made available at prices that everyone can afford.

Learn more about this author, Helen Gray.
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