I loved Schoolhouse Rock as a kid, and enjoyed “going back to school” with my kids.
I can still sing many of the songs.
And remember many of the lessons.
The main lesson of all of the shows was this:
So, why would we put up with a food/restaurant industry that wants to keep us in the dark about nutrition information?
It burns me up when they say that we “don’t want to know” nutrition information.
High-end restauranteurs say that when we dine at their establishments, it’s a special occasion that shouldn’t be weighed down with calorie counts and fat grams (my pun, not theirs, it would be too truthful).
Fast-food restaurants say that we don’t change our orders based on the information they provide, so they shouldn’t have to go through the trouble.
Now, as reported in the Los Angeles Times, movie theaters are resisting the requirement because it would be bad for business.
That’s right. They don’t want to tell us the calories/fat/sodium in those buckets of salted, butter-flavored, popcorn because we might not buy as much. (Although, honestly, if we already will pay $6 for less than 25 ¢ worth of food, I’m not sure we would make a wiser decision based on nutrition information.)
Would we put up with this from any other industry?
Drug companies have to inform us of unlikely side effects, even when our doctors have decided that the benefits outweigh those risks.
Household chemicals must be labeled so we know what we are using and how to handle it safely.
Yet for food that we put into our bodies we are willing to be outright ignorant?
We would rather not know as long as it tastes good?
I’m not buying it.
Even if I’m not necessarily going to make the healthiest choice, I think I have the right to make an informed choice.
Update (April 2, 2011)
An article in today’s Washington Post by Lyndsey Layton reports that the FDA’s proposed rules will require “[c]hain restaurants, convenience stores, concession stands and vending machines” to display calorie information. Yay!
But, the rules will not apply to movie theatres, who have argued that “they should not be subject to the law because peope go to theaters to see moveis, not to eat meals.”
That’s right, friends. The calories, fat and sodium in that tub of popcorn and over-sized box of candy don’t count because you are eating them in the dark.
Do you think movie theaters (and other concession stands) should provide nutrition information?
Do you have a favorite song from Schoolhouse Rock?
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I never saw SchoolHouse Rock.. I don't know how I didn't.. I know OF it.. but have never watched it.
Yea, food industry.. This is an interesting one. For me, on my cheat day, I don't look at food labels (usually). If I look at the label & see just how awful something is for me, I don't eat it.
Last summer after my long runs I'd treat myself to icecream at a local burger joint, I once Googled the nutrition on it, and haven't had any icecream from there since. Weird how that works!
"Household chemicals must be labeled so we know what we are using and how to handle it safely.
Yet for food that we put into our bodies we are willing to be outright ignorant?" <– So true.
I think that for most concessions, you can look up the nutritional information in advance. I find that once I look it up, I remember it. So if you are very interested in being informed, you just need to do a little more research.
Thanks for the tip, Victoria, although I couldn't find anything for the AMC Hoffman movie theater we often go to. (I found some incomplete information for AMC theaters generally on the Livestrong site).
I still think it would be nice to know the information "on the spot." I just avoid movie theater popcorn because I assume it's deadly, but it looks like an un-buttered kid size might not be too bad.
I loved all school house rocks! You just took me down memory lane. I think its sad businesses care more about their $$$ then people's health, but what they don't realize is by what their feeding everyone comes out of their pocket regardless. Why? Because when people get sick Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Cholesterol their employees who I am sure have health insurance comes out of their pockets. You'd think businesses would be more motivated to get people healthy.
Sheri, I think our whole society has a problem focus on long-term benefits, long-term costs, and long-term rewards. It's all about instant gratification with no thought of tomorrow.
I agree with you 100% Coco!
The shows I remember from when my son was young are Sesame St, Mr Rogers, and Electric Co. (i do know conjunction junction!) He was born in 82.
I agree with you 100%! Sometimes, when I think about it too much, I think there's a conspiracy to make us fat/sick (big food), stupid (big media) and in debt (big banks).
I call it the "sheeple" mentality. Big business and the diet industry all profit enormously if we are "sheeple", mindlessly grazing our way (guided by commercials, ads and media) to more fat. The medical and pharmaceutical industries profit even more. Think about it: not only do we buy more food when we're overweight, we buy more clothing, more diet stuff, more exercise aids, and more "soothers" to make us feel better about our excess weight.
As I lost weight (70+ lbs lost and maintained for 11 years now), it was all about learning. I don't count calories (that's another diet industry racket not based in reality (do you really think those numbers can even be exact?) and a real energy-sucker so I don't give my woman power over to counting or numbers or sizes), but I am aware of a relative range and the components of all food.
As I got back in touch with my body, I learned it will tell me when I've had too much of something (I don't listen to my mind because it always says "more").
I'm a big movie fan and probably half my weight was gained on popcorn substituted for a meal. But, as I got in touch with my body, I found I could only eat about 1/3 of what I considered a "normal" amount of popcorn.
But, as information, here are the AMC numbers:
Small tub – 6 cups – 370 calories, 20g sat fat, 210 mg sodium
Medium – 9 cups – 590 calories, 33g sat fat, 330 mg sodium
Large 16 cups – 1,030 calories, 57g sat fat, 580 mg sodium
This is without "buttery" (cough) topping, which adds 240 calories, 4g sat fat for every 2 tbs. There's probably more than 2 tbs on the medium and large.
I hate to burst more bubbles but I wouldn't be so sure cleaning products tell you if they are safe either. Chlorine, present in many cleaning products, is the leading cause of breast cancer (who does most of the cleaning in your house?) and it is present in Splenda, the leading sugar substitute. Ever heard that one? Many countries have banned chlorine in cleaning products but not the U.S.! Oh, my goodness, that might stunt sales! We couldn't have that.
I agree with you 100% on one thing. Knowledge is power. I encourage everyone to get more of it.
Pat Barone, CPCC, PCC
"America's Weight Loss Catalyst" http://www.stoprentingweightloss.com
a post on "No-Sheeple Zone": http://stoprentingweightloss.com/?p=896
Yikes! I am so fond of my Clorox wipes!
I was going to blog about this same thing after I saw the FDA ruling. I love it! And I love Schoolhouse Rock. I had to memorize the preamble in high school and had not trouble because I knew the whole thing from a song! We the people… I can't pick a favorite though. And we have a set of CDs. I used to play them in the car when my boys were younger. I think I liked them better than the boys did! Conjunction junction, what's your function?…