From 2012, fast-food outlets will be forced to display the kilojoule / calorie counts of all items on their menu boards (including meal combinations). In addition to this, the ‘healthy’ average recommended kilojoule / calorie allowance per day – for child and adult – must also be displayed. It is anticipated that this information will help customers make healthier choices when eating at fast food outlets.
A Happy Meal has around 2800 kj (not counting the toy - ha ha)
NSW and the ACT have allready implemented this legislation, and it is hoped that the rest of Australia will follow Queensland’s lead and’jump on board’.
So why did the Queensland state government vote in favour of such legislation? Quite simply, due to the latest overweight / obestity statistics. Queensland Health Minister, Geoff Wilson, believes that this legislation is vital in order to fight the ‘war’ against ever rising obesity rates and says, “If current trends continue, it is expected that about two- thirds of Queensland adults will be overweight or obese by 2020”. And with an estimated 4 million Australians eating at fast food outlets every day, this surely will be a positive step towards beating the battle of the bulge. Or will it be?
(Read more about the new QLD fast food legislation here: http://www.news.com.au/national/plan-for-calorie-counts/story-e6frfkvr-1226213379184#ixzz1fjHJezkN )
While most health experts praise this as a great move towards combatting the rising obesity rates, unfortunately one has to wonder if the very people who frequent fast food outlets will really take notice of the calorie counts. After all, this has been a law in NSW and ACT for over 12 months, and there are no reports of any drastic decreases in sales of ‘high-calorie’ fast foods OR obesity rates.
Why rely on fast food menu boards to help you make sensible food choices? Instead, visit us at The Natural Way! Our weight loss program is based on eating real food and, throughout your program, we coach you on making the RIGHT food and lifestyle choices. So your social life does not go on ‘hold’ while you lose weight with us: we simply educate you on good and bad food choices, so you know WHAT to eat and drink when you go out to parties / restaurants (and even some fast food restaurants are not out of the question).
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I have mixed feelings on this. I guess we can say ‘at least the government is doing something’, but that really is lame. People won’t pay attention to this (just as they don’t pay attention to road safety ads). People are hooked on junk food/fast food when they are little and parents take the easy way out, so by adolescence they are long-time hooked already; and by the time they can read and understand it’s way too late – they are already overweight and slaves to the system (system = eating highly processed, calorie dense foods they buy rather than preparing fresh, natural meals themselves).
Now if they allowed school pupils to run around and play, and have fun while exercising, instead of having so many ‘nanny rules’ that prevent children burning off the energy the have, THAT may be a positive.
Latest media reports today show that calorie dense fast food consumption is a big contributor to our obesity epidemic, so perhaps this legislation can’t come quick enough! Read more here:
http://www.news.com.au/technology/doctors-weigh-in-you-are-what-you-eat-and-australias-killing-itself/story-e6frfro0-1226220222732