Calorie Counting Makes a Comeback

Thanks to new laws, calorie counting is back in vogue and bigger than ever, writes the New York Times. After decades of diets that focused on the balance of fat, protein, and carbs, “More and more, people are looking at calories in, and calories out,” a doc tells the Times.
Chain restaurants in New York are now required to print the calorie content of dishes next to prices, and the harsh truth is prompting some menu changes.

As the restaurants tell it, it's consumer desire driving most of the changes, from smaller servings of quiche at Au Bon Pain to Starbucks' shift from whole milk to 2%. “Everything we consider to have a good caloric rating is marching up the charts,” says one exec. And laws like New York's have inspired others, including one in California, and two versions of calorie-posting laws are floating around Congress. Of course, though portion sizes are dropping, prices aren't.
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