Counting Calories the Lazy Way

I noticed on a trip to California a couple of years ago that the menu at my favorite California breakfast chain, Coco's, was trying to kill me. Why? Because that cinnamon roll french toast I usually devoured had a little number underneath it that made me queasy: 1640. I looked closer. Was that the price?! Oh, no. Even worse. That's how many calories the french toast contained.

I went through the whole process of grieving. Shock- how could that be possible? Denial- it must have been a typo and it was actually 640 calories. Anger- How could Coco's, my beloved Coco's, do this to me? Acceptance- I was NOT ordering that cinnamon roll french toast and would instead opt for the 350 calorie tomato, basil, egg white omelette.

It turns out that it is the law in California, as of 2008, for restaurant franchises with 20 or more restaurants in a chain to post the calories on the menu by January 2011. That means all restaurant chains from IHOP to Starbucks to yes, Coco's, have to post their calories on their menu. According to then governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, his decision to pass the law had something to do with Austrian tanks (intrigued? read here). No, but really. The law, officially named SB1420, was proposed by state Senator Alex Padilla, who was quoted in the LA Times as saying: "All Californians will soon be empowered with reliable, accessible nutrition information . . . that will help them make more informed, healthier choices."

(IHOP Menu)

Well, Senator Padilla, you certainly made me think twice. I now heavily rely on those calorie counts to make my decisions. It may mean that I don't order that cinnamon roll french toast, but I feel much better about my food choices.

While California was the first state (or city, for that matter) in the U.S. to pass such a law, other places in the country have followed suit. My home state of Pennsylvania, for example, is slowly adopting a similar law. Philadelphia passed a law last year that requires restaurants with 15 or more stores to include the calorie content. New York City also passed a similar law.

These laws have received their fair amount of criticism. A Yale/NYU study found that the NYC law didn't deter fast food consumers from inhaling a sickening amount of calories. Well, to that I say, as one of the 15% who DOES pay attention to the calories, the law is extremely helpful.

Sometimes, however, you have to let yourself go and say calories, schmalories. That french toast is too good to pass up.