Main Line Today's dining blog

Nov 24, 2008

02:11 PM

Learning to Love Labels

(page 1 of 3)

Big Brother is Watching…Your Waistline

A few weeks ago, while en route to a Broadway show, I stopped at a Starbucks for an early-afternoon pick-me-up—you know, a non-fat cappuccino with a fully loaded chocolate chip or oatmeal cookie. The place was fairly busy, so I had ample time to peruse the goodies. It was only after reading the tags to a few unfamiliar items that I realized what was going on: calorie counts, fat counts and carb counts. I cringed, along with the four or so other customers also positioned eye level to the case. No need for diet pills. This was an instant appetite suppressant.

Back on home turf that following Monday, I still couldn’t bring myself to indulge in the tempting fare at our local Starbucks—most definitely not the mammoth Rice Krispies treats, which I’d learned tally 400 to 500-plus calories. (It’s hard to believe that anyone could devour an entire square in one sitting. Why not trim them up and make them more marketable?) The mystery had been removed, leaving a single truth: ignorance is, indeed, bliss.

I came across this headline on nytimes.com a few days later: "Bake Sales Fall Victim to Push for Healthier Foods." The story was about a water polo team in Piedmont, Calif., who’d become nutritional outlaws trying to sell home-baked goods off campus in the wake of tightened state nutrition guidelines.

I didn’t take the news well. “It’s wholly un-American,” I cried, suddenly feeling cheated out of the chance to score a secret family recipe for chocolate-chip cookies, brownies or apple cake—always a possibility at these now-outlawed bake sales.

Shortly after this travesty hit the media wires, Philadelphians, too, fell prey to government interference when City Council voted in favor of an ordinance requiring restaurants with 15 or more locations to show customers the numbers on calories, fat, transfat, carbohydrates and sodium for all the food and beverages on their menus. (The ordinance won’t take effect until 2010, so we can all enjoy another year living under the premise that what you don’t know won’t hurt you.)

The ordinance applies to upscale and mid-level chains (think the Palm, Smith & Wollensky, and Chili’s), the usual suspects of fast-food and quick-casual restaurants (McDonald’s, Wendy’s, BK), plus places like Dunkin' Donuts, Rita's Water Ice, Baskin-Robbins, Starbucks, and convenience stores that serve prepared food (yes, this means our beloved Wawa).

Ultimately, I am all for responsible eating. And I recognize that obesity is a major issue in this country, which also leaves a negative mark on the health insurance industry. I truly appreciate the mission of providing easy-to-use nutrition information that will allow customers to make informed decisions. Regardless of increased labeling, however, people still don’t have a clear understanding about the entire process of what happens to food along the way to the supermarket. I’m not just talking about local foodism here; I mean all the “junk” that’s put into packaged goods to preserve, color and sweeten them.

Certainly, limiting options and offering better descriptions of menu items are good ideas; diet experts have long been advocating "out-of-sight, out-of-mind" as an effective means to curbing binge or overeating. Education, however, is still the best means to helping people—including children—monitor eating habits. If they meet someone who is obese and struggling with weight/nutrition-related health issues, they may start to learn about the long-term effects of what they’re putting into their bodies.

A great way to start the process is to take your kids to the grocery store and have them read the labels on their favorite cereals and drinks. Then do an Internet search on all the different diseases related to poor nutrition and descriptions of all the additives they’ve been seeing on the packages. Have them plan out menus with you and purchase the ingredients, and explain that moderation, balance, variety and freshness are four of the most important elements of a good—and good-for-you—meal plan.

For more on Philly’s labeling law, check out "Philadelphia Passes Strongest Nutrition Labeling Requirements for Chain Restaurant Menus."
 

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