Clarian Bariatrics

Wow…can you imagine the freedom we would have if we could choose what we eat based upon real nutrition information on restaurant menus? Most of us have no idea the damage we can do to ourselves by making poor choices when we eat out.

The beauty of this bill requiring nutritional info to be posted on menus is that WE CAN FINALLY BE IN CONTROL! No longer will we be suckered into eating food prepared with hidden added fats and sugars without our knowledge! We will actively be choosing healthy selections and have the ability to lose weight and maintain our weight loss.  Such blissful serenity knowing the restaurant business is “on our side”…even if they don’t like it!

Below is text from an article that ran in The Indianapolis Star last week, and one which I had the pleasure of being interviewed for!

Are menus in for a makeover?
Advocates want calorie information displayed, but many in restaurant industry oppose mandates (By Barb Berggoetz)

If you're eyeing a slice of the Cheesecake Factory's carrot cake, do you really want to know it's going to pile on 1,560 calories? Or that a Double Whopper with cheese value meal at Burger King packs 2,170 calories?

Ruthanne Hilbrich does.

"I think calorie information added to menu boards and menus is an excellent idea," she said. "Hopefully, it would put the brakes on all of the thoughtless inhaling of calories."

As a registered dietitian at the Clarian Bariatric Center, Hilbrich sees the devastating results of overeating, no matter where it occurs. So she supports efforts to better inform Indiana restaurant-goers about the calories they're wolfing down.

Although some restaurants highlight "light" items on menus or list calories on Web sites, kiosks or menu trays, displaying calorie counts is a contentious idea here and elsewhere, particularly if restaurants are forced by law or regulation to do it.

A bill requiring calorie postings, sponsored by state Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, languished in this year's short legislative session, which was dominated by property tax issues. But he plans to introduce a similar measure in the upcoming session in January.

"This obesity epidemic is wreaking havoc on health-care costs and seems to be getting worse rather than better," said Brown, chairman of the House Public Health Committee.

In 2007, 27.4 percent of Hoosiers were obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Even so, some restaurant owners don't take kindly to the idea.

"I personally don't agree with the government telling us how to run our business," said Jay Snyder, co-owner of Hollyhock Hill Restaurant in Indianapolis. "A lot of times, people won't like to hear what they'll hear. I don't think it will be real popular with most restaurant owners."

Yet menu-labeling directed at chain restaurants is picking up traction across the country.

California became the first state to take the step. On Oct. 1, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a law requiring chain restaurants with more than 20 locations and drive-throughs to offer menus listing calories, saturated fat, carbohydrates and sodium for each item starting in July.

Supporters say people are eating out more, portion sizes are often large, and calories are underestimated, contributing to weight gain. If calorie totals are visible, they contend, some people would make better choices, and restaurants would provide healthier fare.

Despite legal challenges, New York City began implementing its controversial menu law in May, and King County's (Seattle) law went into effect Aug. 1. Several other large cities or counties, including San Francisco, the Portland, Ore., area, and Santa Clara (Calif.) County, are following suit later this year.

In the past two years, 25 cities or states, including Indiana, have introduced calorie-related bills. Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., are among cities considering the step, and New York state is, as well.

Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Judith Monroe says menu-labeling is a "grand idea" that needs serious consideration, although the movement in Indiana might need to start at the county or city level, as smoking bans did. Her office is studying the pros and cons now.

"A lot of people do want to be healthier," she said. "We need to create the environment that will make it easier for them."

Brown's previous bill gave chain restaurants the flexibility to post calorie information in ways other than solely on menus. He plans to draft a bill that requires placing calorie information on menus or menu boards. But if there's not enough support, he said, he'd revise it to allow restaurants more leeway.

Considering the state's obesity problem, Sen. Patricia Miller, R-Indianapolis, chairwoman of the Senate Health and Provider Services Committee, said menu-labeling would be an excellent step. Although she'd prefer restaurants do it voluntarily, she's intrigued by the idea and would consider it for legislation after further study.

But many restaurant industry leaders nationally and in Indiana favor a federal legislative approach -- with caveats.

In June, national and some state restaurant associations and chain restaurants formed the Coalition for Responsible Nutrition Information to support federal legislation, as opposed to the piecemeal approach with varying laws in different locations, said John Livengood, president of the Restaurant&Hospitality Association of Indiana.

The group wants federal legislation that would apply to chains with 20 or more restaurants and give them the option of putting calorie information on menus, menu boards, posters, counter or table tents, food packaging, menu trays, Web sites, brochures or other reasonable means, according to draft legislation.

"What would not work is every community having their own and different standards," Livengood said. "We think it's more practical, more workable, to have a national standard."

Industry leaders are exploring a variety of proposals, said Maureen Ryan, spokeswoman for the National Restaurant Association, but no timeline is set for introducing such legislation.

Advocates for strict menu-labeling say the restaurant industry doesn't back the legislation that would be most effective.

"They want weak federal legislation that will throw out all the stronger bills that already have been passed," said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit health advocacy group.

Some Indianapolis owners and managers, at locally owned restaurants and chains, have mixed feelings about the prospect.

"From a customer standpoint, it might be a good idea so they can see what they're getting," said Justin Corrigan, general manager at Murphy's Steakhouse in Indianapolis. "But from a business standpoint, it may not be as good of an idea. Some higher-ticket items would have a little more calories, and we wouldn't want to discourage sales of those."