510 Calories for a Cookie?!

Msnbc.com posted an article today about New York City’s new legislation requiring city restaurants to post calorie counts in the same size and font as the food price.

New Yorkers have been in the throes of sticker shock since this spring when the Big Apple became the first city in the country to implement a law forcing chain restaurants to post the calorie count of each food in the same size and font as the price. … Many New Yorkers are finding that even the foods they thought were lower calorie really aren’t. … Outside the Forest Hills’ Dunkin’ Donuts, Juan Restrepo, the 45-year-old owner of a construction company, said he was quitting corn muffins — 510 calories! — this time for good. … Vicki Freedman, who lives in Manhattan, watches her weight and always tries to choose a light option when eating out. But the 26 year old just discovered that the Friday’s pecan-crusted chicken salad, served with mandarin oranges, dried cranberries and celery, has 1,360 calories.

I think this law is brilliant. Those three- or even four-digit numbers displayed next to innocent-looking cookies, frappaccinos, and even salads will surely bring accountability back to eating. Those who dread stepping on the scale may be most daunted by the new law, but I think it’ll do us good. This law may be a catalyst for restaurants to choose healthier ways of preparing dishes.

It might make some people upset to have their meals “ruined,” but that frustration would be short-lived. Eating healthy and giving up the fettuccine alfredo can be a drag, but it’s like exercise: you don’t want to do it, but you feel pretty good later for doing it.

The article mentions similar laws being implemented in Seattle, Santa Clara and San Francisco by the end of the year, which is absolutely fantastic. I think DC should follow suit. Plus, if we already had a law like that here, I probably wouldn’t have eaten (and now feel so sick from gorging on) a burger and milkshake for lunch.