Should Restaurants Be Forced to Show Calorie and Nutritional Value on the Menu?

A health lobbyist group is pushing to have restaurants be forced to publish the calorie and nutritional value of menu choices. Some restaurants post their nutritional value within a brochure, generally available upon request. Others do not want people to know the exact data on their foods, because - let's face it, fast food and restaurant "gourmet" dishes are not exactly dieter's most needed list. Some foods, like salads, mask their high calorie count and fat content behind the lettuce and carrots, making you think you are getting a healthy alternative to a burger, when in fact you could be eating up to three times as many calories and double the fat.

If the health-concerned group get's their way, we could be seeing exactly how many calories are in meals you see on your favorite restaurant menu. For some people, this would be a welcomed bit of information, and help them choose something that won't destroy a week's worth of jogging and eating carrots. But for others, this could spoil a celebrated night out by offering a glimpse into the stuff you didn't necessarily want to know. There are many times when we think to ourselves, I just want to eat something yummy - I don't care if it's bad for me. It's a debate I'm looking forward to hearing more about in the future. I'm definitely curious as to the ingredients, but I don't really want to know how fattening it is. Some fats are good for you, but some synthetic ingredients could kill.