Actually this is a very good idea. For example, if you go to Chipotle's and order a burrito bowl instead of a burrito, you get all the same good stuff but with substantially fewer calories. Who would have guessed that flour wrapper had so many calories? Also, I had no idea that small sprinkling of cheese added so many calories. Personally the cheese does nothing for me so once I realized that it really didn't change the flavor and I was consuming far fewer calories without it, I eliminated it.

It's little adjustments like these which has allowed me to lose 50 pounds with no starvation or ridiculous diets. Not only have I lost lots of weight, I feel years younger.

nekom: The_Soiler: Who would have guessed that flour wrapper had so many calories?

Anybody who has a basic understanding of chemistry.

The scientifically illiterate deserve to know what they are eating too.

Nabb1: I don't know how they expect smaller operations to realistically calculate the nutritional information of their menu items. I get it with operations like AppleChiliTuesday's or whatever where their menu items are developed in a lab, but I really don't need to know the nutritional information on trout meunier when I go to Galatoire's nor do I know how they are supposed to calculate such a thing.

We do it in Europe and it works out just fine.

The fat content wouldn't necessarily surprise you, but what probably will with fast food is the sodium count.

Most people probably won't use the information, but I think it's important for consumers to know exactly what they are getting.

/thinks ingredient labels should not only have what's in a product, but how much.

Damn right, subby! Having fully informed consumers is clearly socialism. Only some commie would believe that markets are the most free when there is perfect information on both sides.

tototototo: We do it in Europe and it works out just fine.

That's because you use the metric system. It wouldn't work in our units.

Nabb1: I don't know how they expect smaller operations to realistically calculate the nutritional information of their menu items. I get it with operations like AppleChiliTuesday's or whatever where their menu items are developed in a lab, but I really don't need to know the nutritional information on trout meunier when I go to Galatoire's nor do I know how they are supposed to calculate such a thing.

Here you go! :)

Ingredients for Trout Meuniere (Courtesy of Good Housekeeping) :
4 (10 to 12 ounces each) brook or rainbow trout
1 cup(s) milk
1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
5 tablespoon(s) vegetable oil
1/4 cup(s) fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoon(s) butter or margarine
1/4 cube(s) chopped fresh parsley
For Trout with Brown Butter and Sage:
2 tablespoon(s) chopped fresh sage instead of parsley
1 teaspoon(s) fresh lemon juice

Directions

Rinse trout inside and out with cold running water; pat dry with paper towels. Soak trout in milk 10 minutes. On waxed paper, combine flour and salt. Remove trout from milk and coat evenly with flour mixture, shaking off excess.

In 12-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until very hot. Add 2 trout and cook until just opaque throughout when knife is inserted at backbone, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and keep warm. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and remaining fish.

Pour off any fat remaining in skillet and wipe skillet clean with paper towels. Return skillet to heat; add lemon juice and cook 15 seconds. Add butter; cook until foamy, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley and pour butter sauce over fish. Makes 4 main-dish servings.

Nutritional Information
(per serving)

Calories 493
Total Fat 32g
Saturated Fat 10g
Cholesterol 143mg
Sodium 468mg
Total Carbohydrate 8g
Dietary Fiber --
Sugars --
Protein 41g
Calcium --

. . . just another example of the Federal Gov. sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. If someone is too ignorant to know about basic nutrition, they should have paid more attention in grammar school.

Nutritional analysis costs a substantial amount of money. If privately owned restaurants are forced to comply with such regulations (or infringements, really), it will hurt the industry significantly.

//11 yr restaurant veteran

Theres nothing wrong with making information freely available to consumers. Some people really might not know just how many calories or how much sodium and fat that burger has.

LeglessDog: If someone is too ignorant to know about basic nutrition, they should have paid more attention in grammar school.

How can someone know what's in something if you don't tell them?


I have sympathy for small restaurants. But if you have more than a handful of locations then you should have to follow the same rules as everyone else.

Oh yeah?

Well, *I* don't know how to read!

YOUR MOVE!

I came across this link just a few minutes ago. It lists just about every restaurant in the US and the nutritional value of their items.

http://www.dietfacts.com/fastfood.asp

since when was anything about a triple cheeseburger *BAD*?
well, I guess if there was no bacon on it ... THAT would be *BAD* ...

I can guess from context clues, hillbillypharmacist.

:-/

I'll illiterate, I'm not daft. Furthermore, I'm seriously perturbed by this dearth of loquaciousness.

hillbillypharmacist: Brevity, being the soul of wit, demands simple verbiage.

... maybe.

LeglessDog: . . . just another example of the Federal Gov. sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. If someone is too ignorant to know about basic nutrition, they should have paid more attention in grammar school.

Nutritional analysis costs a substantial amount of money. If privately owned restaurants are forced to comply with such regulations (or infringements, really), it will hurt the industry significantly.

//11 yr restaurant veteran

So I guess all the people with learning disabilities or people who were shoved through a crappy school system can go fark off and die of heart disease, huh? You assholes should have been born in a more education-friendly environment!

Last I checked, obesity and malnutrition are some of our country's biggest concerns and it is wreaking havoc on our society. But, hey, that's cool, we don't wanna make the poor restaraunts post calorie info or anything, they might have to spend a few dollars to google the food!

I use the myfitnesspal app for my android phone. It tells me the calories in almost everything I eat when I travel. It also tells me the number of calories I should be consuming in order to lose a specified amount of weight. It even scans the bar codes of grocery store items and inputs the calories into my daily total. No I don't work for myfitness pal.

\lost 25 lbs

oldsbone:
Can't you just look up the calorie counts for the various ingredients in a dish and then use a little magic math to figure out the calorie counts per serving? Or does this law require you to hire a lab or something?

/Not snarky...just curious.


Yes, it would require lab analysis. Guesstimation doesn't cut it for the FDA.

//forgot to say "Fark the FDA" . . . they suck for a bunch of reasons

tototototo: The scientifically illiterate deserve to know what they are eating too.

This pack of cigarettes says "WARNING: Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide".

And? Am I supposed to know that Carbon Monoxide is bad for me?

Seriously if you don't already know smoking is bad how are you going to know that CO is?

/I love all the people who say smoking is only bad because of all the additives the evil tobacco companies put in them.

Just another shining example of BongFarto's job killing agenda.

Nabb1: I don't know how they expect smaller operations to realistically calculate the nutritional information of their menu items.


Even smaller operations should be tracking how many servings of ingredients they use in order to order and maintain supplies. After that it's basic addition.

wyltoknow: So I guess all the people with learning disabilities or people who were shoved through a crappy school system can go fark off and die of heart disease, huh? You assholes should have been born in a more education-friendly environment!

Last I checked, obesity and malnutrition are some of our country's biggest concerns and it is wreaking havoc on our society. But, hey, that's cool, we don't wanna make the poor restaraunts post calorie info or anything, they might have to spend a few dollars to google the food!

You assume one thing - that all of those poorly educated fatties would change their eating habits if they knew that said bacon-covered triple cheeseburger with bbq sauce and mayonnaise had roughly a brazillion calories.

Since they won't, it's a needless move that adds cost to the system with no measurable benefit.

Can't hurt. It probably won't hurt the restaurants much. The people who will feel a pinch are the theater owners. I'm betting that 90% of people who get popcorn have no idea how horrible it is at a theater.

Nabb1: You know, as much as people fight about what's appropriate for sex education in schools, we really need better nutritional education in schools. Somehow, though, I know someone would just find that beyond outrageous.

Agreed
Ya know though as far as restaurants giving us info, it is shocking how many more calories they often have than homecooked equivalents.

Try ordering farking steamed vegetables even, they'll end up on your plate with salt, sugar, butter, and a bit of cheese. Its pretty ridiculous.

Breads and circuses. Keep the people distracted and ignorant!

liverleef: I use the myfitnesspal app for my android phone. It tells me the calories in almost everything I eat when I travel. It also tells me the number of calories I should be consuming in order to lose a specified amount of weight. It even scans the bar codes of grocery store items and inputs the calories into my daily total. No I don't work for myfitness pal.

\lost 25 lbs

You sound less fat.