When common sense doesn’t cut it…
My name is Libby Andrews, and I am a calorie counter. I have been paying attention to calories for years and because of this I have the ability to make a good decision on what to eat when I’m out – even if that means seven days a week. What people don’t realise is that knowing what food is healthy and what will cause a heart attack is common sense to some, but others who have no clue deserve a fighting chance.
I’m not saying calories should be posted on every menu in the UK, but people have a right to know what’s in their food – including fat, salt and sugar content – and then make the decision if they want to go for the 1,000 calorie pizza or the 300 calorie filet of salmon. There’s a reason why more and more international chains and local independents are disclosing this stuff – people want to know. And why should knowing the nutritional content of our plate ruin the experience? On the contrary, it should make it more enjoyable because we know we’re eating good, healthy food.
Leon restaurants recently decided to post its nutrition information online. Henry Dimbleby, Co-founder, says, “We think that calories are a rather narrow way of looking at food. Like rating a painting by the amount of paint it contains. So we include them alongside more important measures like saturated fat and glycemic load. The hits on our website nutritional pages (lots) suggest that the people who want to know are happy to look there.”
I agree with this completely. Calories are not the end-all or be-all to eating healthy. Luckily, when the nutrition information of food is posted, the calorie content usually comes alongside more details like fat, carbohydrates, protein and more.
I appreciate that a lot of restaurants, mainly the small independent ones, don’t have the resources or the ability to be 100 per cent consistent that it requires to post accurate information about the nutrition of their food. However, chain restaurants – with say more than five locations – which people are more likely to visit daily or weekly, should be able to tell us what we’re eating.
If restaurants want to appeal to everyone, they will have to start giving us healthy options, and give us access to the facts.
Moolis, the Indian street food restaurant in Soho, has one location and although they don’t have the ability just yet to offer accurate nutritional information, they know a good portion of their customers want it. Mathew Chandy, co-owner, says, “Many customers now care about what they eat. And those that dont care should be encouraged (but not forced) to care about it.”
Amen to that. Knowing what you’re eating shouldn’t scare you, whether it’s good or bad, I am of the opinion that it’s good to know. That way, most of the time you can make good choices and on other occasions you can stuff your face with chocolate cake, or pork belly, or whatever it is that tickles your fancy.
You may also enjoy these similar posts:
- Eat well at Leon – be healthy and happy.
- Fast food chains say no to posting calorie counts
- Weightloss: what is really stopping you?
- Eating at night… done right.
- Healthy breakfast ‘on the go’
Comments (8)
Maybe it’s the American in us? I count calories too, and pretty much everyone I know from the States does (while everyone I meet hear doesn’t seem to care as much).
It doesn’t stop me from going out, but I do roughly calculate how many calories a meal has and then how much gym’ing or ‘being good’ I’m going to have to do to make up for it. It gets a bit tiring, but I think I’m better off for it.
yes, perhaps it is the American in us! I don’t count them to the very last calorie but I generally know how much is too much etc based on things like calorie content… and I think I am definitely better off for it!
I count calories too and find that its a good way of knowing whats good and whats not…
Do you mind me asking how calories you think is the right amount to eat?
I know that there is no such thing as one size fits all but it would be good to know what people consider the right amount…
Hi Melissa
It really does depend on your size and if you are trying to either lose weight or maintain it.
If you are trying to lose weight it’s good to remember that one pound (on the scale) is about 3500 calories – so whatever you are eating if you eliminate 3500 a week, you will lose roughly a pound a week. Add some exercise to it and you’ll see more fall off.
Generally 2,000 calories a day is suggested for a woman but if you’re on the smaller side, I’d say 1700-1800 is ideal and if you’re a bit bigger and happy to maintain then you might be able to afford 2200 or so.
Hope that helps!
Thank you for the information
Would you mind me asking how many calories you normally try to aim for?
I’m a UK size 6 so I would say I’m on the small side and I’m 5ft 5 so not overly petite…
I used to be a size 14 though…
1700 calories is what I normally aim for. I do exercise quite a lot as well. I’m in the gym or doing some sort of active class 2/3 times a week…
Calorie counting has proved really successful for me but at the same time don’t you find that you can get a bit too carried away and obsessed with knowing the information?
Kind of makes you feel really bad when you go over the top and eat too much as you know that your bound to put on weight…
I think 1700 sounds about right! If you’re working out and you are a size 6 which is quite small, you probably want to aim for 1700 but may be able to hit up to 2000 the days you exercise and still maintain a healthy weight without having to worry.
I don’t count every single calorie – I just know what is too much which guides my choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner. One calorie filled meal isn’t going to hurt as long as I get back on track the next day. And if you’re healthy you shouldn’t gain or lose more than 1 or 2 pounds a week so really the calories you eat in a DAY don’t make a huge difference, it’s how it adds up at the end of each week!
Thanks for the info. My weight does tend to fluctuate by 2 – 4 pounds a week depending on how “good” I have been as there are weeks that even 2000 calories a day go out of the window
It is all about balance. I was told that if your underweight then your body naturally clings onto the excess food when you eat a bit too much.
I’ve noticed that by eating 1700 calories my weight does tend to stay around the same but when i go over this then it has a tendency to move upwards… Oh well…
It’s a great way to guide us as to whats the right amount though as before i did this I had no idea how many calories I was consuming.
Mind you when I was a size 14 I defo ate a lot more than 2200 calories a day… I was putting on weight though…