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Yes! Calories should be mandatory on all recipes. Fat grams should be listed along with whether the fat is polyunsaturated or saturated. I'd even appreciate the words, "Pure olive oil only," or "Pure canola Oil only." Both of these healthy fats are often mixed in with other fats. On the same line, "pure butter," or "margarine" would be helpful listings. And I don't mean what's on the table for the rolls, but what is used in the cooking. (I'm on the butter side of this issue; it's pure and has no strange additives.)

Then I'd add another four "musts."

The first is sugar content. This just isn't for dieters, but for health reasons. Diabetics can be thrown into truly high, and sometimes dangerous, counts by hidden sugars (as in sugars added to salads and sauces).

The second is carbohydrate percentages. Not only for diabetics (carbs are important there), but for anyone who needs to be on a low-carb diet for health or other reasons. Pastas, potatoes, corn, peas, some winter-type squash, sweet potatoes and even rice all contain a whole lot of carbohydrates. Some have fewer carbs than others, but the person ordering the meal should have the carb count. For a diabetic, the daily carb count should be no more that 45 grams! The huge baked potato or a gigantic mound of pasta could exceed this - in one meal.

All corn ingredients for foods like peanut butter that are added to recipes should be listed. Allergic people can died from both! I'm lucky enough to be able to eat both products, although corn is too heavy in carbs for me to include except a minute amount in stews, soups and salads.

Another thing I don't need, but vegetarian and vegan friends do, is a clear listing of any animal product used in a recipe. This isn't easy to just ask about; the cook may not be thinking along vegetarian lines when asked. Believe me! I recently had a vegetarian friend here and thought I'd do a beans soup without the usual bits of ham. It's perfectly good without, but it wasn't until I thoughtlessly dumped in the chicken broth that it hit me-she could not eat that. We had a bean loaf instead (and it was so good, I'll fix it even when there are no vegetarian friends here.) Vegans need to know about hidden egg, butter or cheese ingredients, too, although vegetarians usually eat them with no ill effects.

Yes, this is a lot of information to include on a menu. The federally-mandated ingredient lists used on grocery items could be boxed alongside. If that proves impossible, print-outs of ingredients could be handed out. Not just on request, but perhaps left on each table in menu-type, protected brochures.

People are trying to become health conscious. If restaurants want to draw us, they need to provide the information we need - especially about the "hidden" items that go into things like mixed dishes, salads and sauces.

Learn more about this author, Margaret Shauers.
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