The new calorie law is a murderer! Yes, it has killed my pleasure of eating out!  Once the calorie law becomes widely enforced you’ll see information like sirloin steak (450 calories) or turkey sandwich( 930 calories) written all over restaurant menus. For Gods sake, who wants to know all this? I dine out once a week with my family simply for the pleasure of eating. I’m already savvy on a lot of calorie education, buddy! The television, newspapers, health journals, slimming spas, doctor’s chambers are all bombarding people day in and day out with information on calories and high and low calorie foods. I really don’t need to be reminded of all that once more when I’m going to a food joint to deliberately indulge in my favorite food once in a while.

The calorie law, formally known as the Dietary Disclosure Law is a federal bill according to which all restaurants should totally reveal the calorie count of their menu items. It’s already in effect in New York City restaurants and by 2011 it’ll be implemented in California as well and other states will also follow. I know there are some restaurants that don’t reveal the total calories of their preparations and sometimes the actual count differs from that revealed. But for such restaurants, I suggest that the check be done at the preparation stage by Food Law Authorities, and the consumer be not bothered with all the details. If I’m made ‘health and weight ‘ conscious every time I bite into my favorite dessert, I’ll become a psychological wreck in no time out of guilt for consuming it or out of grief for restraining myself from it !

I agree so much with food psychologist Susan Albers when she says, “We all want to eat healthy. Yet, is calorie count a gauge of this? We have to keep in mind that calories are only one aspect of food composition that helps you gauge how healthy it is. Basically, you look at calories and say to yourself one of two things, "high or low." It's a little bit like weight. Weight alone is a very limited source of information. You have to know how tall someone is to put weight into context. For example, is 150lbs a healthy or unhealthy weight? Again, that depends on how tall you are and if you are a man or a woman. Also, you must know exactly what someone eats and if they are getting adequate nutrition to determine if they are healthy. We've all known thin people who have very unhealthy diets. So calorie content really doesn't signify "health" per say. It tells you the energy density of food and if it puts you at risk for eating a lot of calories or a little.”

Also, if the food business were to run by a calorie law why should people go to restaurants at all? You can very well stay at home, complacent eating your salads and veggies all the time! Restaurants are meant for special foods that you’d want to enjoy sometimes. Don’t make these look highly depressing health care venues!

According to me healthy living is not about eating fewer calories, but eating a balanced diet and harmonizing it with good mental disposition and adequate physical exercise. I don’t need a calorie law to tell me that!

Read the fantastic analysis of Susan Albers on this in Psychology Today.

Image credit : Andreaharner