Calorie Count on Menus May Impact Food Choices

Showing diners how many calories are in restaurant food items may help the least health conscious people make a better choice….

A new study suggests that showing diners how many calories are in restaurant food items may influence how much they eat, especially among the least health-conscious people.

Researchers randomized diners at a restaurant to use one of three menus during a two-week period. The first menu was a standard menu with no calorie information on it, the second menu had calorie information on it, and the third menu had traffic lights next to each menu item. A green traffic light printed next to the menu item signified a calorie count under 400, yellow lights signified foods with a calorie count between 401-800, and red lights signified food with a calorie count of over 800 calories.

Diners ordering off the standard menu ate an average of 817 calories compared to an average of 696 calories when ordering off the traffic light menu. Diners ordering off the menu with calorie information on it ate an average of 765 calories. Based on surveys done at Oklahoma State University, researchers found that less health conscious people cut the most calories in response to the new menus.

"It is encouraging because the information may help the people who will need it the most," said Lorien Urban, who has researched menu labeling at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center.

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2013, 10:21 doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-10-21.