Alverno Alpha community media produced by Alverno College students News Community Sports Opinion A&E Related Content Last 5 stories in Opinion Cats: Whats Not to Love? - May 3, 2013 U-PASS or Not: A Big Question - April 26, 2013 Anonymous Intrigues and Eludes Many - April 26, 2013 We Do Not Hate Men - April 26, 2013 Playing the Blame Game with Sexual Assault - April 22, 2013 Other stories that might interest you... The Color Run 2013 Creates Colorful, Calorie- burning Fun Walk to the Park and Run in the Sun Rapid-result Workouts for Bikinis Sake New Resturant Cooking Food For The Soul Wanelo Offers New Shopping Experience Lets Burn Off Those Burgers and Shakes! Alissa Rosado, Staff Writer April 26, 2013 Filed under Opinion Does the number of calories in food usually make you think of the amount of exercise that would be required in order to burn them off? More restaurants are displaying calorie counts on their menus, but researchers argue that this has not shown a decrease in the food people are consuming. Something more effective should be done. Fast food chains and restaurants are being required to display their calorie counts on their menus. In New York, specifically, it is mandated that calorie counts be displayed on all menus. It is important to have this information in order for consumers to know the number of calories they are taking in. Despite the calorie counts being added, studies have shown that people arent eating less. Strangely enough, some surveys indicated it actually resulted in people ordering more. Dr. Meena Shah and Asheli J ames, researchers from Texas Christian University, feel that a better approach is needed. They suggest that the calorie count should be replaced with the number of minutes of brisk walking a person would need to complete to burn off what they just consumed. Brisk walking was chosen because the researchers felt that it is a physical activity that most people can do, and it easily fits into a persons everyday schedule. The researchers decided to test their theory and came up with an experiment. The study was based on younger adults because they tend to exercise more than older adults. The researchers gathered 300 men and women ages 18 to 30. They were randomly assigned to order lunch from one of the three menus: one included no calorie counts, one included the calorie count, and the last one was labeled with the minutes of walking needed to burn the calories. The menus all offered the same types of food, such as burgers, chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, salads, fries, desserts, soda and water. J ames and Shahs theory was proven to be more helpful for consumers. The participants who were provided with the walking information ordered fewer calories in comparison to those who ordered from the menu without the calorie labels. The information gathered from the study suggested that including caloric information on menus may help consumers take into account how much they truly are eating. Although the study was focused on young adults, Search Email Updates Connect with Alpha! Recent Comments Polls Enter your email address below to receive our daily email updates M. J ay on Milwaukee Children Still Missing Maurika Smith on Maurika Smith Crowned Miss Alverno 2012 Katy on Brewers, Chorizo Win Monday Night Mary Froehlich on Graduate Alverno with a Healthy Mind and a Healthy Body Kathleen Cowdin on Raye David, Holocaust Survivor: I AM A FREE SPIRIT! What aspect of a new online Alpha is most exciting? no inky fingers more mobile access easy access to AIFR videos permanent URL View Results Home Links RSS Feed Home About Staff Multimedia Search this website... Enter your email address... GO Vote Alverno Alpha : Lets Burn Off Those Burgers and Shakes! http://www.alvernoalpha.com/opinion/2013/04/26/lets-burn-off-those-burgers-and-shakes/[5/3/2013 11:22:10 AM] Copyright 2013 Alverno Alpha Gazette Design by School Newspapers Online Log in researchers say the indications could be effective for changing habits for all adults. One to two hours of moderate exercise would be required to burn off the calories in some of the energy-dense foods. Shah says that including information about the relationship between calories consumed and exercise necessary could help people make better decisions regarding their food. The more information people have, she says, the more informed their choices might be. Knowing the amount of exercise it would take to burn off food would definitely put things into perspective for many. Tags: Calorie Counts, Exercise Labels, Restaurant Menus