My 2 Bits » fast food http://www.my2bits.org Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:16:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Calorie Countdown http://www.my2bits.org/health-fitness/calorie-countdown http://www.my2bits.org/health-fitness/calorie-countdown#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:51:07 +0000 admin http://www.my2bits.org/?p=54 I have to say, as a chiropractor who’s been “preaching” a healthy lifestyle to my patients for years, I was thrilled when I read last year about New York’s becoming the first U.S. city to mandate that fast food restaurants post calorie counts in large type on menu boards. I figured it wouldn’t be long before other cities would follow suit and that eventually I could take down the posters in my chiropractic clinic that remind my patients that “you are what you eat.” In fact, the system has since become a model for similar rules intended to combat obesity and promote good nutrition being implemented in California, other parts of New York state, the cities of Seattle and Portland, and elsewhere.

But, a new study by researchers at New York University and Yale University that analyzed fast-food purchases by 1,156 adults at Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald’s and Wendy’s immediately before and after the rule went into effect has shown that perhaps simply shedding light on the high calorie content of fast food may not be enough to dissuade the majority of fast food consumers, especially in low-income neighborhoods.  The percentage of people aware of the calorie information increased from 16 percent to 54 percent, but the number of calories purchased was slightly higher than before the rule was implemented, researchers found.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the study may have been done too soon after the rule went into effect and before all fast food restaurants were in compliance. But, I think that much more education is necessary to let people know exactly how those particular calories will affect their health and longevity. And, there needs to be more healthy options for lower income families,

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