THUNDER BAY -- Menus can make food look good but Ontarians will know whether franchise restaurants are serving foods that are good for you, just in time for New Year's resolutions.
The provincial Healthy Menu Choices Act will take effect on Jan. 1, 2017, meaning restaurants with more than 20 outlets will have to list caloric intake next to all regularly-served menu items.
"This is a great tool to help consumers make informed choices," said Thunder Bay District Health Unit registered dietitian and public health nutritionist Victoria Holla.
"It's one tool of a lot of different tools that can help support healthy eating. Especially for families and individuals who eat out frequently, this is something that can help them make choices."
Holla pointed out while adults can judge calories in their meals based on a 2,000 to 2,400-calorie diet, calories are not the best indicator to determine the healthiness of food.
While she applauded the bill's regulations that will make the restaurant industry more transparent, she cautioned those who eat out often to be vigilant of other indicators like sodium and fat as well. There is no easy shortcut, she said, to knowing healthy versus unhealthy calories.
"We want to make sure people are looking at more than just the caloric content of their food," Holla said.
"For example, 100 calories from gummy bears is very different from 100 calories from an apple. There's a lot more nutrients, vitamins, fibre in your apple. Calories is just one tool. That's why we say it's important you use this information in context with a lot of other things."
