We check the products at the grocery store for calories, sodium content and fat so we certainly would like to have some idea of what we eat at restaurants. This needs to be addressed somehow. Even though the representative of the Canadian Restaurants Association stated that the customer will make some changes to the menu item, the values for the standard item should be posted and the menu can post a disclaimer on values for items that are modified. Posted by: Vic Mueller | Nov 7, 07 08:00 PM

So what if they don't give you the information? People go out to enjoy themselves. If they used their heads they would know what's fatty or not. What do you expect dips and honey sauce etc to be? Posted by: Derrick Davies | Nov 7, 07 09:09 PM

I couldn't believe how pompous the Canadian Restaurant Association rep was. He seemed totally dismissive of any points that Marketplace was putting forward. I think he'd make a good (dishonest) politician. After seeing this show I'm not sure I'll eat at another restaurant that doesn't include at least the calorie and fat content. Fiber would be an added bonus as well. Posted by: Bruce H | Nov 7, 07 09:36 PM

As the parent of an insulin dependent child, the carbohydrate count is imperative to good blood glucose control. Insulin pump therapy had to be suspended due to the inability of being within 5 carbohydrates of every meal estimate. This meant a return to six or seven needles a day, which should still be within 10 carbs for each meal estimate. A tough go for a college student, living away from home. Too much insulin can lead to shock, and coma. Too little leaves them sick, and makes learning more difficult. Posted by: Elaine | Nov 7, 07 11:26 PM

It is unfortunate and irresponsible that a reporter of Wendy Mesley's caliber would repeat the misinformation about the relationship between caloric intake and weight control. Ask any endocrinologist and they will tell you that it is not possible for the human body to convert fat or protein into fat to be stored in the body unless the body is experiencing a glycemic response. This response,which releases insulin, can only occur in the presence of carbohydrates. Indeed, a person could eat an essentially unlimited amount of fat, protein, and non-starchy vegetables while losing weight at a high rate. In the absence of carbohydrate these clean-burning energy sources will be metabolized by the liver and provide very stable energy levels. This seems counter-intuitive, but has been proven by millions of people following food combining programs such as "Sommer-sizing". The reason that this works in the absence of portion control or calorie counting is that eating calorie dense foods in the absence of insulin will make you feel so full that you will be physically unable to eat more than your body needs. Personally, I recently lost more than 40 pounds while intaking as much food as I could stuff in. Before you worry about cholesterol, remember that only 20% of our cholesterol comes from our diet. Cholesterol metabolism changes in the absence of the glycemic response and does not form plaques in the same manner as in the presence of insulin. I agree that the nutritional value of these restaurant meals is terrible, but perhaps Ms. Mesley's considerable skills could be put to better use investigating the relationship between the Canada Food Guide and the domestic agriculture lobby. Posted by: patrick ashford | Nov 8, 07 12:53 AM

I had a pretty good idea that alot of restaurant meals are very high in fat and calories, but I was totally shocked at the level of salt! It is no wonder that after a restaurant meal I can't seem to drink enough water! I am not big on restaurant food and now I know why. Posted by: Antoinette Beal | Nov 8, 07 09:15 AM

I was astonished at the caloric and sodium content of some of the dishes I would have thought were reasonably "safe." The comments of the restaurant association representative were specious and insulting to you and all of us who eat in their restaurants. What are they so afraid of? Oh yeah, information is power, and we might actually use our brains before we use our mouths. And that wouldn't be healthy for their bottom lines, would it? Posted by: Jeff James | Nov 8, 07 09:49 AM

I had no idea that Chicken Fajitas were so high in fat and calories. This is what I order at a restaurant thinking it's better than a burger at a fast food place. Obviously not! I totally agree that the restaurant owners could show consideration to their customers by placing the fat, calorie and sodium content on their menus. As a matter of fact, I have decided that I will not be spending my money in restaurants that do not have this information readily available to me. Tonight we are going to Swiss Chalet. At least they care enough about their customers to provide such information Posted by: Traci Alescio | Nov 8, 07 01:28 PM

While the program tended to be a little thin in scientific logic, it certainly makes a case for a little nutritional info on menus. The restaurant association spokesman was really at a loss to refute Wendy's objections. However, it prompted me to ponder the scientific validity of equating the daily caloric requirements for average men & women and the chemical analysis of meals for caloric content. This "conventional wisdom" has been around for a long time - is it not a little too simplistic? While both concepts taken separately may be true, how can we tell that all the calories we eat will be used as energy, or stored in our bodies as fat? Depending on the particular food, some of it must (more or less) just pass through as waste. I believe Mr. Ashford is correct in observing that carbohydrates must be considered - he mentions "sommer-sizing" and if not mistaken this is also a premise of the Atkins diet. For certain, restaurant meals (even salads) tend to be high in carbohydrate. The point - really - would seem that even if we retain only half of the fat producing content of restaurant meals, it would be still too much, not to mention the sodium. One doesn't have to be a scientist or statistician to observe the disproportionate number of overweight and obese people in our society - there are some who can be excused for genetic and/or chronic illnesses. Another myth that needs to be quashed is that "normal" exercise is the solution to burning excess calories. Again, as in the case of food intake, this can vary due to age, metabolism, genetics, body type, occupation, etc. Posted by: Omar Jette | Nov 8, 07 06:51 PM

would love to see the whole chart that you showed on the tv so that i could put it in purse when i dined out to help make better choices. Most people know that eating out comes with high caloric intake but I do not think I realized just how high. Posted by: shirley bain | Nov 9, 07 10:21 AM

I am certainly no expert but a high fat, high protein, low starch diet is not a healthy alternative to a well-balanced organic diet. It may allow you initially lose weight as part of a yo-yo diet but places a high degree of stress on the liver among other side effects. Posted by: David Januczkowski | Nov 9, 07 05:27 PM

I was amazed at the high content of calories, fat & sodium in the restaurant foods. I strongly agree such contents should be included on menus and would serve as an excellent guide when ordering. We have to improve the obesity rate of Canadians and I believe being informed right on the menu will make a positive difference. Posted by: joanie Bruce | Nov 10, 07 08:04 PM

We really need to have more awareness on every level for food consumption. The grocery items finally have great information, restaurants need to follow. I have a Type 1 diabetic teenager who is on an insulin pump and she NEEDS to know what the carbohydrate count is in every bite of food she eats. Many times we have had to guess when we are at a restaurant and that should not be acceptable. What are the restaurants afraid of? Posted by: Christine Smith | Nov 10, 07 08:04 PM

With my job in sales I frequent restaurants about 3-5 times a week. 16 years ago I weighed 168lbs. Today I weigh a whopping 245lbs and with a body fat index of 30 I am considered obese. With more information on the calorie intake on menus consumers can make a conscious decision on the limits they should order when ordering a meal. It would not be in the best interests of restaurant's profits if they put that information on the menus because the consumer would in their eyes buy less. I no longer order starters and my salad I order with no dressing and I sneak in a raspberry vinaigrette! Posted by: Theo Reed | Nov 11, 07 12:44 PM

I am a highly educated adult but was obviously ill-informed just how bad restaurant food is. I thought I was making reasonable choices but never knew how much salt and calories are in each dish. Now before I eat out I'm going to check the web for nutritional info and make better informed decisions (and eat at home more where i can make healthy food). Posted by: Gloria S | Nov 12, 07 10:37 AM

Just a side note about Atkins diet. When Atkin passed away a few years ago, he was considered obese! before that he was suffering from high blood pressure as well as congestive heart failure. In his later years, he usually wore loose clothing in public - to conceal his large size? So much for Atkins diet. Posted by: Bing | Nov 12, 07 12:34 PM

Why don't you list the total grams in the meal? Comparing a full meal with a single burger without fries doesn't seem quite scientific. At least add the fries to the burger since many people will eat their fries. Now the only question left: Regular or Supersized? Oh - and how long will the restaurant meal keep you full compared to the single burger? Posted by: Mark | Nov 14, 07 07:26 PM

I loved your story regarding the unbelievably high calorie content in many popular food items at Canadian Restaurant chains... I've eaten at many of the places mentioned in your program.. which now explains why I've gained a few pounds in the last year or so during my stay in Canada. I thought I was eating healthier (after a conscious effort to stay away from McDonalds, Burger King and A&W) but I was actually getting fatter. The idea of posting calorie and sodium figures on the menu is a great one and is already in force in many western style chain restaurants here in Japan - Jonathan's, Jolly Pasta are two examples that come to mind. After leaving Canada earlier this summer and returning to Japan, something interesting started to happen... In my first two weeks back I lost 4 kilos of burdonsome fat... the secret? I can watch my calorie and sodium intake when eating out (which I do a lot due to my busy work schedule). I really think Canada needs to follow Japan's lead and force restaurants into full disclosure. Then the burden of responsible eating will be on the consumer. Posted by: Gaishoku | Nov 26, 07 02:50 AM

I must say that I was surprised with the first half of the report, stating there is little nutritional information available on the foods we consume. I personally have taken the time to research this topic while eating a personally modified weightwatcher plan. I found that simply following the "points" diet had a huge variance from day to day...while a day with 20 points was the equivalent of 1800 calories, the next day at 26 points could come in under 1000. This led me on a quest to know what I was putting in my mouth! While the information doesn't always trip you on the way into the establishment, the information is out there for those who look. It would be so much easier to have the information on the menus, and I believe it should be mandatory. I could not believe how closed minded that rep was, and how defensive he was towards the issue of legislation. This is not an illegal substance we are asking him to own up to, but simply allowing consumers to make informed decisions. It would be insane to assume that people would leave a restaurant or simply order water with extra ice just because the calorie content is stated. In a society so aware of the obesity crisis and its medical ramifications, there should be no question as to whether the information should be there for everyone to use. Posted by: Tanya S | Jan 17, 08 01:42 AM

Absolutely unacceptable that in a country where the tax payer pays for health care that we allow meals to be sold with such high fat and salt content. At the bare minimum restaurants should have to put this nutritional information beside every item. Posted by: Aok | Feb 1, 08 01:47 PM

This only serves to prove that my friend feels justified in eating 3 quarter pounders at the end of a hard night of drinking, rather than waking up and having a Caesar salad at Kelsey's. I guess he wins! Posted by: Stacey Augmen | Feb 1, 08 07:05 PM

I think that the bill to make large chain restaurants include nutritional info is starting down a slippery slope. It's all well and good to aim it at large companies, but how long would it be before it was required for anyone operating a restuarant, bar or sandwich shack. New restaurants already have an insanely high failure rate, add onto that the cost of performing these tests everytime you change the menu and pretty soon the only ones left standing are the big companies. I certainly wouldn't choose to eat in boil-in-bag restaurants all the time. We also have to take responsibility for our own choices. I you have ever read a nutritional label while you shop, you have to have some awareness of the food you eat. Heres a news flash, fat and salt make food taste good. Do you honestly think that eating 2 pounds of deep fried chicken wings with blue cheese dressing will make you thin? It's time we started using our heads and stop blaming the big bad restaurant chains for adding to our waistlines. Posted by: tina | Mar 16, 08 03:42 PM

I worked at one of the busiest Kelsey's Restaurants in Canada from 1997-2005. Some time in 2001 or 2002, when the low-carb Atkins Diet was just starting to gain popularity in Canada, our head office decided it would be a good idea to jump on the health-conscious bandwagon. So the company conducted nutritional tests on all the menu items and then decided to reprint the menus so that they would show the actual calorie, fat and carb content. It was easily one of the biggest mistakes I have ever seen a restaurant make. The calorie and fat contents in the menu items were so disgustingly high that I distinctly remember people actually getting up and walking out of the restaurant after having looked at the menu. Needless to say, sales and profits began to slump drastically once the nutritional information was plainly laid out on the menu for our customers. Less than three weeks later, head office admitted their mistake and reprinted all the menus without the fat, calorie and carb content. It was a very expensive lesson for the company to learn. Posted by: Rene | Mar 18, 08 01:19 PM