Calorie counting: the best math you'll ever use

By: Samantha Marinko

Posted: 2/28/08

Big juicy burgers, hot crispy fries and a creamy chocolaty milkshake; just thinking about McDonald's food makes it hard to resist hopping in the car and swinging by the drive-through.

"Well, it is on the way."

"I'm in a hurry and McDonald's is so convenient."

"I barely have any money and it's so cheap!"

Whatever excuse is used, it doesn't change the undeniably unappealing fact that the convenience, price, and taste of fast food definitely have some "weighty" drawbacks.

CNN.com said "nine out of 10 people grossly underestimate the number of calories in these meals, by around 600 calories."

The average fast-food meal has about 1,300 calories; that's 66% of an average person's daily caloric requirement.

The odds clearly represent a lack of knowledge in regards to nutrition facts. Perhaps if these facts were presented to the public more often than they would be better understood.

The state of New York has recently instituted a new program that requires some restaurants to list the nutrition facts, including the trans fats of the food they serve.

This program was designed with the idea that if people know how unhealthy some things they eat actually are, then maybe they would cut back on those foods.

The New York Times said, "Health officials hope that once someone sees that a Starbucks mocha made with whole milk and whipped cream has 420 calories, the 160-calorie latte made with skim milk will seem the wiser choice."

This new calorie-counting program instituted in New York still does nothing to cater to those in a hurry.

"I eat it because honestly sometimes it is a lot easier and faster to do that than to come home and cook something, especially if I've been running around doing things all day," said junior Deirdre Finnegan.

Knowing how many calories or trans fats that are in a certain food or drink may steer some away and make others feel a little worse about consuming it, but the fact is, the real appeal of fast food is just that, it's fast.

To some, though, the convenience isn't worth the health detriments.

"I try to stay away from it because I want to be good and healthy," said junior Matthew Musico.

Food is so much more complicated than just what tastes good, as sophomore Serena Hunt, an aspiring nutritionist, explains that students' lives are influenced drastically by what they put in their bodies.

"What students eat directly affects their daily lives. It can affect your ability to study, your endurance at practice, how often you get hurt, and even how stressed you feel on a daily basis," said Hunt.

Hunt also went about pitching an idea to the Sacred Heart chapter of Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) regarding her concerns.

The project would entail a petition to have required nutrition facts posted in FLIK.

"I think it's really important that we know what we're putting in our bodies," said Hunt.

So the next time you are on the run and lunchtime roles around, think about your health before you pull up to the drive-thru and answer that question; "May I take your order?"