HHS HealthBeat (June 30, 2006)

On the road again

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

It's hard enough to watch your calories at home, where you decide how much to put on the plate. On vacation, eating at restaurants, it's hard to tell how many calories you're getting.

Especially when the portions are so big. Studies show people often guess wrong about how much they're eating when the food is just put in front of them. And the same with calories. When the recipes are back with the chefs, we can be dining in the dark about calories.

So now what?

At the Food and Drug Administration, Anne Crawford:

"Consider choosing smaller portion sizes. Ask for the doggie bag up front. Maybe share a meal or an entrée with someone in your family or your friends." (seven seconds)

And Crawford says you can ask for nutrition information. Maybe you'll get it.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: August, 15 2006