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February 29th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda TUESDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay News) — Even when fast-food
restaurants list calorie counts for menu items, diners may still have a
hard time using the information to make healthy meal choices, researchers
report.
In the study, the scientists examined the calorie listings for 200
food items on menu boards from 12 restaurant chains in the New York City
neighborhood of Harlem.
Too often, calorie counts were listed for combo meals or meals intended
to serve multiple people, or had wide ranges in what the calorie count
might be.
For example, a bucket of chicken was listed as having 3,240 to 12,360
calories, but the menu board did not provide enough information for
consumers to determine the number of pieces of chicken in a serving
size.
A listing for a sandwich combo meal said it ranged from 500 to 2,080
calories. However, no information was provided on how to order within the
lower range of this menu item.
Under federal law, restaurants with 20 or more locations must provide
calorie data and additional nutritional information for menu items and
self-serve foods. Although the calorie information complied with U.S.
labeling rules, consumers may have a tough time making sense of much of
it, the study found.
“Menu postings for individual servings are easily understood, but
complex math skills are needed to interpret meals designed to serve more
than one person,” wrote study author Elizabeth Gross Cohn, an assistant
professor at the Columbia University School of Nursing, and colleagues.
“In some items, calories doubled depending on flavor, and the calorie
posting did not give enough information to make healthier selections.”
Researchers suggested that calorie listings should do more than merely
comply, but take into account what level of “math literacy” is needed to
make use of the information. In a revised system, a breakfast sandwich,
for example, would be listed as, “Egg with ham/bacon/sausage:
350/550/750,” so consumers could know exactly how many calories various
options would add.
“In low-income communities with a high density of chain restaurants,
and where educational attainment of consumers may be low, simplifying
calorie postings and minimizing the math required to calculate calories
would increase menu-board utility,” the researchers wrote.
The study was published online Feb. 16 in the Journal of Urban
Health.
More information
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics offers advice about dining out.
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