Calorie Counts on Restaurant Menus EXACERBATE Eating Disorders  

United States: Eating disorders patients experience negative outcomes due to the calorie labeling system on restaurant menus, according to new research. 

More about the news 

The purpose of these nutritional labels on restaurant menus is to present calorie information for customers seeking healthy eating options. People who have eating disorder diagnoses react negatively to restaurant menus that list calorie information, according to new research published in the BMJ Public Health, January 28. 

People with eating disorders displayed unhealthy reactions, which involved refraining from dining out completely or developing unhealthy thoughts related to food and weight and becoming preoccupied with calorie counts. 

People who saw such labels reported this experience maintained and strengthened the core beliefs of their eating disorders, according to researcher observations. 

What more are the experts stating? 

As a patient who was suffering from an eating disorder stated, “It’s definitely set my recovery back by a long way, and I only feel safe eating at home now,” US News reported. 

Moreover, a senior researcher, Tom Jewell, a lecturer in mental health nursing at King’s College London, said, “Our study highlights that people with lived experience of eating disorders are frustrated at being left out of the conversation around calorie labels.” 

Because of the obesity epidemic, policymakers have started implementing changes even though they have not considered the effect on eating disorder patients, according to Jewell. 

“Striking a balance between the positive and harmful impacts of calorie labels on menus is vital in any public health policies,” he added. 

“Policymakers should consider the impact on both obesity and eating disorders when making decisions about nutrition labeling,” he continued. 

Study details 

Research analysts evaluated information gathered from 16 academic investigations, which examined data from over 8,000 participants. 

“Findings were mixed, but mostly showed negative impacts of out-of-home nutrition labels on people with lived experience of eating disorders or disordered eating,” researchers added. 

People with eating disorders demonstrated increased menu calorie label awareness and poor ability to remove their attention from these nutritional values. 

“I become hyperaware of the idea of the calories,” one of the participants added. “I imagine my body ballooning up. I feel dirty.” 

The participants experienced discomfort when their food choices started a conversation about dieting with their contacts.