Denying fast food calories is no longer an option
A Big Mac is how many calories?
McDonald’s announced this week it will start listing calorie information on menus in their U.S. restaurants and drive-thrus starting early next week. This announcement is ahead of a national rule that will require all restaurant chains with more than 20 locations to make nutritional information available to their customers.
This makes it much harder to deny what you’re eating when you grab your meal on-the-go.
I don’t consider myself a fast food junkie, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have the occasional craving for a McDonald’s chocolate milkshake, Arby’s curly fries or a Crunchwrap Supreme from Taco Bell. But the reality of the calories some of my favorite fast foods never ceases to shock me.
- McDonald’s medium chocolate milkshake: 710 calories
- Arby’s curly fries, medium: 540 calories
- Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: 540 calories
The recommended daily caloric intake for someone of my age, height and weight is about 1600 calories. So that means if I decide against my better judgement and indulge in one of the chocolate milkshakes, that is 44% of my daily calories. Is a milkshake really worth nearly half of my daily caloric intake? Probably not.
That doesn’t mean I still won’t succumb to the occasional craving, but knowledge is power. I might just decide to keep on driving when I hit the drive-thru.
Do you think that having the calories in front of you at fastfood restaurants will change the way you eat?
