Advice on calorie menu can help people eat better

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, July 18 (HealthDay News)--What general guidelines for consumption of calories available to patrons of the restaurant where the calories count labels are already in the menu do not lead to better food choices, the new study cautions.

"The general inability of calorie labelling will reduce the total number of calories has been quite widely demonstrated," said lead study author Julie Downs. "So it's nothing new. But in the light of this, there was a growing thought that maybe the problem is that people don't know how to use information without some framework, some guidance, "she said.

"So what we tested whether we can improve food purchasing behavior by offering people the General daily or for a meal next to the food labelling guidelines for calories in restaurants."But it turned out that it does not help at all, "she said.

Downs, associate research professor of social and decision sciences in the College of Humanities and social sciences Dietrich at Carnegie Mellon University, and colleagues present their results in the July 18 online edition of the American Journal of Public Health.

In recent years, various cities and counties, including New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and King County in Washington state-mandated calorie posting in chain restaurant menus, as they have throughout the Member States, such as California and Oregon, according to a study. Going forward, some form of national marking calories is to dig under the federal health care reform unfurling already passed by Congress.

On this background for four months in 2008, the authors set out the standard recommendations of more than 1100 calories information to consumers under the age of 18 and right in front of the food bought in one of the two restaurants based on N.Y.C. McDonald's in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn.

The information provided was taken from a policy by the u.s. Department of agriculture and the calorie lunch Act national school. Half of the test took place just before the implemented standard calories labelling, half of the restaurant menu.

Participating consumers were randomly given: recommending the total daily intake of 2000 calories for women and 2400 calories for men; apprising material that one meal should contain between 650 and 800 calories; or no information at all.

The result: analysis of the influence of food and after studies showed that the calorie guideline does not seem to help clients better understand or generally better use calories labelling, when he was present. In addition, the guidelines were able to induce a decline in the total number of calories informed patrons purchased.

Instead, those who received the overall caloric information decided to eat a bit more calories, not less.

"It's just speculation," Downs said, "but I think that what happens is that people see the calories on a daily basis or for a meal." She gave an example of a Big Mac, listed in 550 calories. "What is not actually unreasonable. So [customers] might feel OK to go ahead and get a slightly larger main dish, but at the same time still the same appetizer and drink, which usually gets. And then all of a sudden they more than 1,100 calories a meal. Any one item may seem OK, but it adds, "she noted.

"In the end, what is more problematic is that asking people to do math three times a day every day of life is a lot," added Downs. "Because that's not how we decide what they eat only once. There are a lot of decisions. "And if you add the cognitive load on the mount, the [mental] is that there is a lot to ask."

For its part, Lona Sandon, a dietitian and Assistant Professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, suggested that informing the calories should be seen as an important step towards building awareness, even if not immediately leads to better food choices.

"It continues To prove what those of us who work in the field of promoting healthy eating and lifestyle have known for years," Sandon said. "This means that knowledge does not equal to or guarantee a change in behavior. Knowledge is only one piece of the puzzle. We need to consider people attitudes, beliefs and values of the surrounding healthier eating and body weight, "she said.

"The pros choose fewer calories must outweigh the cons," added Sandon. "In other words, they must see the benefits, that is strong enough to offset the disadvantages of high-calorie meals, which will be immediately satisfying and tasty," considering, she said that the number one reason people say they eat for taste, not health.

Study author, which Downs said: "now there is a reasonable argument that we should have those calories the label and access to information. Of course, for someone who is already aware of health, provision of information and transparency is helpful. But the problem is, when we consider that this is the solution to the obesity epidemic among the population at risk, which we are trying to address. "

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Source: Julie Downs, Ph.d., Associate Professor, Department of social and decision sciences, humanities and Social Sciences College, Dietrich, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh; Lona Sandon, R.D., Assistant Professor of clinical nutrition, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas; 18 July 2013, the American Journal of Public Health, online