Health Concerns

NYU Researchers: Kids Basically Ignore Calorie Counts on Menus

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Sometimes, we look back on the stuff we ate when we were 16 or 17 years old and think, We actually put all that crap in our body? Burgers, burritos, candy bars for breakfast. SO MUCH GATORADE! But whatever! We were 16. You should’ve seen our metabolism back then. We were streamline, baby. (Plus, do you remember how baggy pants were back in the nineties?) Anyway, NYU researchers have published a new study that says kids and teenagers don’t care about calorie counts on menus. Which, duh. (News flash: It ain’t just the kids.) In fact, researchers at NYU found that only 57 percent of New York teens even noticed calorie counts on menus. And only 9 percent actually let the counts influence their fast-food-ordering decisions. Also: The researchers discovered “that most teens underestimated the amount of calories they had purchased, some by up to 466 calories.” Which is the other thing about teenagers: They’re skinny, but they can be pretty dim. [Reuters/MSNBC]

NYU Researchers: Kids Basically Ignore Calorie Counts on Menus