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Healthiest menu picks aren’t obvious

April 18th, 2007 · No Comments · Food selection, Healthy eating

If you think it’s hard to choose the healthiest or lowest-calorie item on a restaurant menut, you are right. The California Center for Public Health Advocacy released a poll today that found more than two-thirds of people can’t identify the healthiest options in a quiz featuring popular chain restaurants’ food. I rarely if ever eat at any of the restaurants named, so I had to guess at what might be in some of the choices. I went 0 for 4 in the four-question quiz on restaurant menu choices, but so did 68 percent of poll respondents. See how you do.

The CCPHA commissioned the poll of Californians as part of its efforts to seek nutrition labeling of restaurant food. The poll results certainly put forth a good argument. But, despite the group’s findings that 84 percent of respondents supported nutrition labeling in the chain restaurants, I’m skeptical that labels would make much difference. Most people interested in eating good food (and food that is good for them) know they aren’t going to find that kind of food in those kinds of restaurant.

Then again, maybe if people saw the numbers as they gazed upon their menus, they would either make healthier choices or the restaurants might be motivated to offer better choices. I’m not holding my breath.

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