London diners have no excuse for the choices they make next time they order at a favourite restaurant thanks to researchers at Brescia University College.
Brescia University College foods and nutritional sciences professor Len Piché and graduate student Elena Usdenski pose in front of Mythic Grill, a London restaurant participating in the pair’s nutritional-based website.
Len Piché, Brescia professor of foods and nutritional sciences, and graduate student Elena Usdenski have launched a new website to provide nutritional details about signature dishes at 24 participating London restaurants.
While the Brescia site also includes hours, accessibility and type of cuisine on its site (similar to other websites), it’s the nutritional information about signature dishes in terms of servings, calories, sodium and other ingredients that makes the website unique.
“Not only does it provide accurate nutritional analysis of restaurants’ signature dishes, but it also provides other information that some people might not be aware of, such as if a restaurant offers Halal meals or if it is wheelchair accessible,” says Usdenski of the website, provided by the college and the Brescia Graduate Fund. “It is definitely a one-stop shop for dining out in London.”
In September 2009, Piché and Usdenski obtained a database of restaurants from the Middlesex London Health Unit. The team then developed a survey and delivered it to every restaurant on the list along with a letter explaining the purpose of the website.
“Currently, Brescia is busy promoting the website so the restaurants that are not currently participating can go and see exactly what the website is all about,” Piché says. “I hope they see it as a valuable tool for the London community and would choose to participate. The hope is to have more restaurants participate as well as provide nutritional analysis for more signature menu items.”
The launch of this online resource is timed well. Legislation (Bill 90– Healthy Decisions for Healthy Eating Act – 2009) has been re-introduced and is in the first reading stage. If the bill passes, food services with more than $5 million in sales per year, must disclose the caloric content per serving on menus and menu boards, and limit trans fats in meals.
“It’s pretty exciting and I think it is an excellent idea and one that was supported by the Ontario Medical Association when it was first introduced last year but I hope that it will also mandate the disclosure of sodium along with calories and trans fat on menus and menu boards so that patrons can make more informed choices for themselves and their families,” Usdenski says.
While she agrees with the call-to-action on menu labeling, Usdenski says further research and measurement is required to determine if labeling will lead to improved health among Ontarians.
“Research in this area, to see if calorie labelling on menus is an effective strategy to decrease patron’s caloric intake, is conflicting,” she says. “For example, females tend to look at calories and fat, males tend to look at protein, individuals with diabetes look at carbohydrates, and individuals with kidney disease look at phosphorus and potassium. With the permission of the restaurants, our website provides this information to consumers so they are able to make an informed dining decision.”
While admittedly this website won’t be the cure for obesity or related complications, Piché says it’s a step toward getting people to think and learn more about what they’re putting in their bodies.
“It is not a cure, but I think education is an excellent first step to empowering someone to make better dining decisions for themselves and their families,” says Piché, adding his literature search showed consumers tend to underestimate caloric content of restaurant menu items by as much as 600 calories. This is a significant amount if you consider pound of weight loss is equal to 3,500 calories.
“If individuals are not aware of this, then they would be less able to make informed decisions. I think this website provides an educational component for patrons and is a good resource for dietitians, who are considered experts in the field, when educating their clients/patients on dining out.”