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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Denny’s Fried Cheese Melt, Hardee’s Monster Thickburger, and Friendly’s Grilled Cheese Burger Melt are all high calorie, attention-grabbing menu items that are pumping sales and creating buzz for chains. At the same time, policy makers are touting calorie posting, healthier menu choices, and smaller portions as needed strategies to fight the war on obesity.
Quick service restaurant chains have played to the “dude” crowd for years – young, hungry men, their core customers. The goal for any new item, even one that may contain half the day’s calories and enough sodium for 2 days, is to spur repeat business or to lure customers from another brand. Most of these outrageous, indulgent menu selections are not envisioned as everyday choices, but many customers come back again and again. Taste always trumps health. And, even when the over-the-top menu choices are panned on the internet and by food professionals, the chains benefit because the chatter drives business.
Most chains have menu choices that range from indulgent, to healthy entrees and salads, to mainstay items that never rotate off the menu board. The philosophy of companies is that the consumer should be free to drive the choice of what they want to eat. They counter activists and policymakers by pointing out that one can eat healthy at their restaurant, if they choose. But, most customers are driven by novelty, price, and taste when it comes to ordering a meal. Health and calorie counts trail far behind.
How do we close this disconnect? Some think posting calories will drive customers to better choices. For a few that will be the case. Some customers may change their behavior initially but most go back to old choices as time goes on. The dude crowd is simply not interested in the healthy eating message. There is a certain bravado about eating giant servings and large portions of meat. Salads, chicken and fresh fruit are not on their radar scope. Many of these young dudes will become young fathers in the near future, setting the stage for poor family food modeling.
The intent of policymakers is not wrong. Information is power and the more information a person has the more they can use the information to lead a healthier life. How best to deliver that information is the problem at hand. Making laws that require calorie posting of menu items and taxing less healthy choices like soda and candy is one possibility. Educating consumers may be a wiser option. Though education plans don’t provide quick fixes, they usually have long lasting results that spill from one generation to another.
Over the years we have educated people about the dangers of eating too much saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium. We encouraged them to eat more whole grains and fruits and vegetables. Many have not heeded the advice but others have. If we repeat the message over and over again, in various ways, inroads can be accomplished. We need to connect food and exercise. Food is fuel and exercise burns that fuel. Eating and moving is the key. Too often we just concentrate on food choices and don’t provide enough information on the value of exercise.
If you are planning to indulge in;
Denny’s Fried Cheese Melt, featuring mozzarella sticks sandwiched between cheese and bread and then grilled, has 830 calories, 40 grams of fat, and 2,920 milligrams of sodium.
Hardee’s Monster Bacon Cheeseburger, has 2 patties totaling one-third pound of beef topped with bacon and cheese, with 850 calories, 57 grams of fat and 1,650 milligrams of sodium.
Friendly’s Grilled Cheese Burger Melt is a traditional burger with lettuce and tomato sandwiched between two grilled cheese sandwiches, with 870 calories 97 grams of fat, and 2,090 milligrams of sodium.
These heavy hitters need to be considered in the context of daily recommendations which suggest most of us should be aiming for 2,000 calories, less than 65 grams of fat, and no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium a day. Every choice exceeds the daily sodium recommendations, provides from 40% to 150% of our daily fat requirement, and
over 40% of our daily calories. And, we are not counting the soda and fries ordered to accompany our choice.
Keep in mind restaurant chains don’t develop outrageous choices with the aim of making people fat. They develop them because customers like them and buy them. Until we can make healthy choices equally enticing, it will be hard to change customers’ behavior.
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with 12 current titles and sales in excess of 8 million books. The books are widely available at your local or on-line bookseller.
Current titles include:
The Calorie Counter, 5th Ed., 2010
The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, 3rd Ed., 2010
The Complete Food Counter, 3rd ed., 2009
The Fat Counter, 7th ed., 2009
The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008
The Cholesterol Counter, 7th Ed., 2008
The Diabetes Carbohydrate and Calorie Counter, 3rd Ed., 2007
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to The Nutrition Experts
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