how calorie counts on menus affect those with eating disorders
Over the past decade, numerous restaurants and food establishments have been required by the FDA to disclose calorie information on their menus in an attempt to help Americans improve their health. Despite the intention, menu labeling is potentially harmful for individuals who struggle with disordered eating, body image concerns, or eating disorders.
Dining out at restaurants is generally seen as a positive, enjoyable experience as it provides people with an opportunity to celebrate events, host meetings, or just catch up with friends and family members. Many people focus on a restaurant’s ambiance and the taste of the food rather than the food’s nutritional information. In November 2014, the United States Food and Drug Administration began requiring chain restaurants with 20 or more locations, along with movie theaters, bowling alleys, and other venues that sell food to disclose the calorie information of items on their menus. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, this law was enacted to encourage Americans to make healthy and smart food choices.
Research has indicated that people eat more calories at restaurants compared to what they would eat at home. Health experts are confident that disclosing calorie counts on menus is helpful for those with health problems such as diabetes or a heart condition. However, calories on menus can be triggering for people with eating disorders. The supposed benefits of disclosing calories counts are not worth compromising the mental health of those struggling with eating disorders or disordered eating.
Eating in public or with other people can be challenging to begin with for someone with an eating disorder. Many may feel as though their eating disorder behaviors will be questioned or ridiculed by those they are with. Individuals with anorexia tend to restrict the foods that they eat and often avoid entire food groups altogether, which ultimately leads to the consumption of far fewer calories than they need. In treatment, clients learn not to focus on calories, but to implement healthy coping mechanisms to reduce the stress surrounding meals. They gradually begin to eat intuitively and listen to their bodies. But, when a menu reveals the food’s calorie count, they may become fixated on the numbers, which can make them feel self-conscious or shameful about their meal choices.
Additionally, individuals with bulimia or binge eating disorder eat large portions of food in a short period of time followed by compensatory behaviors (for those with bulimia) as a means of compensating for the calories consumed. Seeing calorie counts on menus can trigger or induce a binge-eating episode which may result in purging behaviors later on (vomiting, over-exercising, laxative abuse, etc). Calories do not indicate the nutritional value of food, but seeing numbers on a menu may influence some to order food from a “light” or “skinny” menu with fewer calories, thus ignoring their internal cues and cravings. Counting calories is damaging to one’s relationship with food.
Many people, both with and without eating disorders, have concerns about calorie counts appearing on menus. They believe that this information should be accessible upon request to those who want it, rather than appearing on every menu. Individuals with eating disorders, and even those without, can become uncomfortable and intimidated by this information and may be swayed from making intuitive food choices with the unnecessary pressure of calorie counts. Many believe that this added stress might be avoided if restaurants did not display each items’ calorie information for everyone to see.
Although it can be difficult not to scrutinize the calories of each menu item, there are ways to handle seeing this information. People in eating disorder recovery may be able to avoid seeing the calorie counts on menus by physically covering the numbers, but this isn’t always effective and sometimes isn’t possible. Dr. Stephanie Zerwas, the Clinical Director of the University of North Carolina’s Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders, shares that family members and friends can help select a meal off of the menu for the individual overcoming an eating disorder to prevent them from becoming overwhelmed or anxious by the calorie content of the food choices. Additionally, when dining with a person who has an eating disorder, those at the table should not discuss calories, ingredients, how much someone eats, or portion sizes during the meal.
According to Dr. Zerwas, family and friends can support those with an eating disorder by empathizing and validating their fears and stressors. It may be helpful to have a general idea of what to order before arriving at the restaurant, as this will minimize comparing the calories of different items. Although people with eating disorders may become apprehensive when thinking about calories, they can learn healthy coping mechanisms in recovery to help them learn to enjoy food.
At BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™, our compassionate, highly skilled team of clinicians is trained in diagnosing and treating the spectrum of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and other disordered eating and body image issues. In addition to our full-time Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), we offer nutrition counseling with a licensed dietitian, meal support and outpatient groups to assist those seeking help for food concerns.
This post was written by BALANCE Social Media Coordinator, Amanda Nussbaum (she/her).
Amanda is a recent graduate of Ramapo College, where she majored in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. She enjoys being creative, writing, and editing videos, and is passionate about health, wellness, and lifestyle. In the future, Amanda hopes to work in the marketing or communications department of an organization that focuses on teenagers and young adults, and their health and self-confidence. She enjoys contributing to the BALANCE blog!
