Today, I took my two cousins and their friends to a Baskin Robbins for a little-after swim treat. I don't think I was really expecting anything from them other than delicious, creamy, probably fattening ice cream.
But while I was struggling over the phrase "Cabana Berry Banana", I noticed something, Baskin Robbins now has little nutritional factoid labels on all their ice cream flavors. Most of the ice creams were in the 400 calorie range, with some of the fat-free flavors only 200 calories.
This isn't some big shock to me- I've always known that ice-cream is chock full of calories- I wasn't born yesterday, or in a barn, or whatever the saying is. I'd just never thought I'd see an ice cream place that made their nutritional information readily available for all patrons to see. In most of the ice cream stores we have back home (like Coldstone Creamery and Gofer Ice Cream) just offer you choices, and you'd probably need to ask for a nutritional fact sheet if you wanted to know anything pertaining to your health.
So I went back in my head to my old memories of my weirdly serious health teacher (she opened parenting night telling everyone's parents "Your child has a 1 in 4 chance of having an STD. DID YOU KNOW THIS?!?".) droning on about calories, and I remember her saying that the average person needs about
1500-2000 calories per day.
I tried doing some math in my head:
So if I need about 2000 calories, and I'm eating 400 of them, I'll have 1600 left. And for my meals.. But that's where I got stuck. I have no clue how many calories I'm eating at meal times. 500? 600?
700?
I'm not a crazy health nut, and I'm not obsessing over my caloric intake. I just want to know.. would you rather know the nutritional information of all the food you're eating? Or do you just not care?
And more importantly, do you even watch your caloric intake in the first place?
Comments (90)
now that restaurants have started posting the nutrition facts of their products (for example, mcdonalds has it on the packaging, starbucks has it in the display for the pastries, and subway has it on the napkins), i find it interesting to read and compare... if i'm eating two big macs, i make a mental note that i've already consumed more than half of my daily intake of calories, but i don't really do much else.
generally, my appetite and hunger levels are triggered when i'm hungry and i try hard not to snack when i'm just bored... so the calories consumed should even out with my daily activities.
Yeah, I have to admit. I do care about my calorie intake, but I don't always remember to keep a good count. :-/
i've counted my calories every day for the past 4.5 years or so, and i would anything-- ANYTHING-- not to care any more, because it's a disorder that has ruined my life. people are healthier if they listen to their bodies, eat only when hungry, and steer clear of junk food because it's junk-- not because it doesn't fit into the calorie quota for the day.
otherwise you fall into traps like skipping meals because you ate a brownie earlier that day and you've already reached your maximum "allowed" number of calories, and you deprive yourself of food that actually has nutrients in it. it's better to allow yourself the occasional treat, call it a treat, and forget about it, or do some extra exercise.
absolutely
i wish every food establishment in this universe posted their nutritional information
it'd help me sleep better at night
not really. i'm too lazy to count. but i still try not to have too many calories.
I count calories, but not as strictly as some. I'm pretty aware of how many calories everything has. (and by everything, I really mean everything. I have restaurant menus memorized and I know that removing mayo always removes at least 100 calories)
Sometimes though, I would really rather NOT know how many calories I am eating. Its sometimes really upsetting, but you have to enjoy life every now and then.
i would rather know...and i do know :)
No need to count if you get off the couch and do something...
Besides, why should we care? It's going to kill us, but at least it tastes good!
oh dear god yes. if i didnt i would still weigh 133
i do care sometimes. not exactly counting though. i don't really know if i wanna know or not know. =/
if you dont count calories and you arent overweight, dont start.
you will never stop. you wont know how to.@TrishaJustTrisha@xanga - That's really interesting you say that, considering I've found that Americans have more access to nutritional information, especially calorie content than anywhere else. I'm from NZ and here we hardly have calorie information on any of our packaging, and asking a restaurant for calorie content would seem very very out of the ordinary.
Nope.
I don't care how many calories I'm eating. I think I eat healthy enough, except for my major lack of vegetables, and eating too much meat. When I am full, I do not eat any more, and I work as a manual labourer, so I get enough exercise to burn it all off anyway. As I get older, I'll be forced to change my lifestyle, no doubt.
The number of calories is written in on almost everything in france. You don't have to count... i think there had been a law about it. Something to prevent obesity. You have the number fo 100gr and the number for a portion..
I try not to think about it...
@Azwethinkweiz_x@xanga - we have a really good access too in France as i explain just above :)
I don't count calories. But I find nutrition fact boxes facinating to read. Of course, I have no idea how much we're suppose to be taking in, so it is always more interesting when they put the % daily requirements next to the number. =}
Now; if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find something super fattening to nibble on!
I usually don't, but I'm on a diet atm (mom-imposed, we're doing it together), so I have to.
I wanna snack so bad XD
@TrishaJustTrisha@xanga - I agree. Minus the app thing. I don't have a smartphone. Ha.
I was nearly 200 pounds at one point in time. I'm very conscious about what I eat now, not to an obsessive point (anymore) but it matters. I gained 60 pounds in one semester of college without even realizing it how much I had gained. Calories are the easiest for me to count, and I keep track of what percent of those calories come from fat, carbs, and protein. I have a little chart on my computer that I check to keep as accurate as possible.
That 2000 calorie thing is a ballpark figure. The number of calories you need varies depending on your gender, weight, height, activity level, weight goals, age, and hours of sleep. 2000 is a ballpark. If I tried to eat 2000 calories, I'd end up bloated and nauseous because I would have to stuff myself to do it. I talked to a doctor before I started losing weight. Right now at 5'5" and 140 I only need about 1360 calories if I am not active to maintain my weight. Knowing that makes me want to keep track because it's so easy to go over that (and I'm still trying to lose.) Though, after months of this, I can figure out calories pretty accurately in my head while I'm cooking. It's only tedious in the beginning. I can go all day without charting and counting, and then go home and look everything up and be within 100 calories of where I was aiming. Pretty nifty.
When I went to NYC this December I was shocked that pretty much everywhere you went, even small cafes there were calorie counts listed next to menu items. Sometimes I wished they would do that up here so it would make dining out at my favorite little places more manageable.
Nowadays i don't think i could eat something without knowing the calories. I count calories in drinks all the time aswell, mainly because i live off of them. It's sickening how many calories are actually in things, so i definately think more places should put up nutritional information, it would help me, and probably alot of others lose weight, and be more aware of how much crap they do actually feed themselves everyday.
@DeadXTendencies@xanga - it is sick for someone very short and very sedentary to eat 2000 calories. that wouldn't be recommended by any website or anyone professional.
@carydeeluxe@xanga - me too
i have an eating disorder...so yes i do.
i wish all places displayed cals! would make my life a lot less panicky when i have to go out to eat with my family.
I count calories only when I'm trying to lose weight, but I do think it's important for people to know how much they're taking in because you'd be surprised...
i look and try to keep a running count in my head just so im in the general ballpark and know i'm not eating 5000 a day by accident or something