NYC made all restaurants post calorie counts on their menu boards a while back. I remember there was a flurry of articles this fall when the results came in - showing that people actually ordered MORE, and increased their intake of fatty foods. Social scientists were baffled!
The latest headlines, just last week, are saying that even though adults increased their consumption after the calories were posted, they ordered fewer calories for their children.
This is the problem with the "Local Organic" movement. I could sell you a fire hydrant full of locally made organic squeeze cheeze, that doesn't make it good for you. Organic hot dogs = Organic lips and assholes.
I think it's awesome that Burgerville is doing this. It seems like they've gone out of their way to make it clear how much fat you're eating by not just listing the grams, but the percent of your daily total.
I don't think Burgerville ever claimed their cheeseburgers are more healthy than other cheeseburgers. The point of the "local organic" movement is to buy food that comes from local, more sustainable sources, instead of a feedlot in Kansas.
I'm with Sarah, I love that Burgerville being more than upfront. I'd love to be nutricated on how bad those milkshakes are for me, though. Maybe then I'll develop the self-control necessary to not drink one every week.
A bacon cheddar cheeseburger IS better for you if it comes from Burgerville. The beef comes from happy cows that eat mostly grass. The other ingredients come from sustainable producers. You're eating actual food instead of chemicals.
All this means is that you're now eating as "healthy" as the junk food of the 1950s. It's still junk food. And that burger is THE worst offender, no item on the menu has more fat. You could order a double beef cheeseburger and it would still be half the fat of a pepper bacon burger.
Tips:
1. Skip the fries. They're 40% of the total calories, 63% of the carbs, and 30% of the fat. Too many bad carbs.
2. Do as they advise and ditch the mayo. There's still plenty of mouth-watery goodness in there.
3. Slice the burger in half. Put half in the fridge for dinner later or lunch tomorrow.
Half of a big burger like that is enough to satisfy your tummy and get more than a few bites of flavor, and it's way way easier to eat the other half later than it is to eat it all at once while skipping dinner entirely.
Augment it with a small serving of 100% fruit juice (no added sugars or HFC). If you're in the restaurant, mix it up with some carbonated water from the drink fountain and you'll have a good tasting fizzy drink with less than half the calories of an equivalently-sized flavored soda.
Doing these things may be a bit of a hassle, but in my humble opinion it's far easier to manage that kind of diet than it is to give up entire classes of favorite foods entirely.
The latest headlines, just last week, are saying that even though adults increased their consumption after the calories were posted, they ordered fewer calories for their children.
All this means is that you're now eating as "healthy" as the junk food of the 1950s. It's still junk food. And that burger is THE worst offender, no item on the menu has more fat. You could order a double beef cheeseburger and it would still be half the fat of a pepper bacon burger.
1. Skip the fries. They're 40% of the total calories, 63% of the carbs, and 30% of the fat. Too many bad carbs.
2. Do as they advise and ditch the mayo. There's still plenty of mouth-watery goodness in there.
3. Slice the burger in half. Put half in the fridge for dinner later or lunch tomorrow.
Half of a big burger like that is enough to satisfy your tummy and get more than a few bites of flavor, and it's way way easier to eat the other half later than it is to eat it all at once while skipping dinner entirely.
Augment it with a small serving of 100% fruit juice (no added sugars or HFC). If you're in the restaurant, mix it up with some carbonated water from the drink fountain and you'll have a good tasting fizzy drink with less than half the calories of an equivalently-sized flavored soda.
Doing these things may be a bit of a hassle, but in my humble opinion it's far easier to manage that kind of diet than it is to give up entire classes of favorite foods entirely.