For our group project we wanted to see if our common
known restaurant would provide additional menus about allergies and/or calories
for their meals. We decided to go to Chilli’s located on Fowler right down from
campus. We chose this site because it was convenient and one day in our lives
we have all eaten there, or will eat there. Also the fact that Chilli’s is a
public place that many people love it was the perfect place to investigate and
see what the location had to offer. We
thought was part of the Gluten Free Restaurant Awareness Program but it is not,
however, they do support it strongly. We asked the hostess if they provided
health sheets and since they did we placed the public health sticker on their supplement
menus, which included both the gluten free menu and the calorie menu. We
believe that these menus represent Public Health because they serve as
guidelines to a healthy diet and can help avoid allergic reactions. With the
increase in people having celiac disease it is wonderful to have a place that
serves food that fits their needs. To add, Diet is a great issue in the world
today and by restaurants providing additional information on their products, it
helps to contribute to a healthier way of dieting and for people to see exactly
what they are putting into their bodies. We were shocked to see that a
tremendous amount of their food was in the thousands for calorie count. We thought that these menus would be a great
thing to look at because we believe that when people are more aware they have
the option to make a better and healthier choice. This could in turn help with
diabetes, sodium intake, cholesterol, and most of all obesity. Also, according to Chilli’s and their menus
they make health and safety for the guests’ a top priority. They make all of these
menus as current as possible depending on changing ingredients and added food
meals. Their menus are based on product information provided by Chilli’s, and approved
by Chilli’s manufactures.
Good ol' Chili's!. I actually used to be an employee of Chili's for about a year and just like you mentioned, I was by all means shocked at the amount of calories in ALL of their meals. I never thought that one dish could have so many unhealthy ingredients in it. This was a great place to go in terms of creating awareness because just like most restaurants, I'm sure Chili's is not comfortable disclosing information on the amount of calories in their meals.
ReplyDeleteI really like that this post shows how caloric intake and ingredients in foods can contribute to public health. In our society weight has become a major issue over the years. Many people find themselves eating out alot, especially going through college years. When one goes out to eat it can be hard to judge what is best for you health wise and calorie wise as well. With this it is easy for people to choose something of the menu wisely without being mislead by all the titles of the foods. This can help control obesity and weight issues in society.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great way to show public health in the community. Disclosing the nutritional information will be a great benefit to those people who eat out, but are seeking to remain healthy. It is very surprising to hear of how many calories are in most of their foods, so if consumers ask for these nutritional menus we can become aware of the high consumption of fat, sodium, cholesterol, and sugar in our favorite meals. In regards to public health, which is the prevention of disease and promotion of health, these menus definitely help to prevent obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other weight-related diseases. They also promote healthy body weight and nutrition by raising awareness of the foods they serve at Chili's.
ReplyDeleteI think this is an excellent example of public health! I too work at a popular chain restaurant, and I have discovered that once you know the calories/sodium/carbohydrates in a dish, you will think twice about eating it again. We also have a special nutritional and gluten free menu, but like Chili's, you must ask an employee for one, and many people probably don't even know it exists. Of course, we don't have that info on the regular menu; if it was such obvious, common knowledge, many people would probably avoid ordering most of the dishes on the menu, or maybe even walk out of the restaurant!
ReplyDeletePersonally, I have hope that one day in the future menus will include all of this info right there next to the price and description, so that everyone will know what they are putting into their bodies, and make more informed and healthy choices about their meals. I believe that if this info was voluntarily disclosed by every restaurant, many of the food-induced diseases (obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc.) that plague our country would be easily avoided. It's such a simple solution, but it would bring big changes to the American diet.
I think this is a great idea to show public health! Chilis is one of my favorite restaurants to eat at. Although, I never really put much thought into how many calories are in one meal. I also think that serving menus or having sheets that provide information about gluten free foods or calorie intake will decrease the amount of obesity in Americans. Since this is just a huge problem I would hope that having knowledge about what goes in your mouth will be beneficial to public health. People dieting will be able to pick their food accordingly and hopefully this will help to minimize the amount of unhealthy individuals.
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to know that one of our everyday restaurants provides us with detailed information about the items they serve and other alternatives that you can substitute. I use to work at Chili's for about a year and not very many customers are aware that this list even exists. I think that this was such a good topic to do your project on so that other consumers who may have food allergy issues or want to keep a healthy diet can be aware and know that they have the option to decide whether they want something off the original menu or the supplement menu.
ReplyDeleteIf only more restaurants would have nutrition facts then only some people would make healthier choices when choosing what type of foods to eat. But this would not necessarily prevent a lot of people from choosing a certain type of foods even though it is high in calories. People usually don't go to restaurants to eat healthy. Another public health issue in restaurants can be sanitation. We never know what goes on when the chefs are cooking the food and whether or not they constantly wash their hands or not.
ReplyDelete