HEALTHY MENU CHOICES ACT 2015
Calories are now on menus – use them to make informed food choices!
What
is the Healthy Menu Choices Act (HMCA, 2015)?
Making a healthy choice while eating out can be hard. To give you some
information about the food available to you, you can now rely on the Healthy
Menu Choices Act (2015), a new legislation in Ontario that forces major food chains
to have the calories posted on menus. As of January 2017, all food outlets with
20 or more locations around the province need to post calories for all their
regular food and drink items (including alcohol) that is served. Food premises are places like restaurants,
grocery stores or coffee shops where you can eat there or get food/drinks ready
to eat at home. Use the calorie information now available to help you make an
informed choice for you and your family, when eating out!
With the calorie information, they also need to include a statement with
the average calories that adults, youth and children need in a day. This is to
help you compare different meal options to your average daily needs in order to
make an informed choice while eating out[KLB1] . Check all the details at the Calories on menus – information page from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care for consumers.
If you own a food premise and want to know more about how the HMCA
affects you check the Calories
on menus - information page from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care
for businesses.
More than just calories – how can I use this information to make sure my choices are healthy?
Knowing how many calories are in the
food or drink that you are about to buy is one helpful way to make an informed
choice. You can look at how many calories your lunch will have and compare to
the average you need in a day.
“But aren’t the food options with less calories the healthiest ones? Why do I need to think about other nutrients?”
Calories are not the only thing to
consider when choosing healthy food options. Choose the option that you think
has the most good nutrients. Fox example:
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Regular double burger sandwich
520 calories
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Salad with crispy chicken (no dressing)
500 calories
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Because the difference in calories is so small, we may feel tempted to choose the burger. But if you think about what other good things you can have from your food, the salad would be the better option, as it would give you the same energy but more important nutrients such as fibre, vitamin C and also fewer ingredients that, in excess, can harm us – salt, fat and refined sugars.
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Healthier choices include those that are
lower in salt, saturated/trans fat, and refined sugars. Here are some helpful
tips to help you choose the healthiest options while eating out:
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Choose whole grains (e.g. whole
wheat bread vs. white bread)
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Get more fruits &
vegetables (an avocado may be high in calories, but it is very nutritious and a
healthy choice!)
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Meat alternatives
(beans,legumes,lentils, tofu, quinoa)
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To drink: Water or milk instead
of pop
Healthy
eating is important, but enjoying the food you are choosing to eat is too. Food
does more than provide your body with energy. Make healthy choices more often
but allow yourself to indulge once in a while in your favorite treat. We want
to encourage you to have a balanced healthy lifestyle which includes healthy
eating, physical activity, good sleep, and family time!
