Now that I've spent an hour looking for the nudge that got my brain going, I may have forgotten what I was going to say. Therefore: Caution! Potential ramble ahead!

Labeling of calories and nutritional information by restaurants has been a hotly debated subject for a couple of years now. In my JAMA that came across my desk today, I had the pleasure of finding this:
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/300/4/433

The bit about "42% of academic hospitals have a fast food outlet" I was sadly cognizant of. I don't know if Starbucks falls into that category (and ours is a lifeline at 1 am when you've missed supper), but we also have a Burger King in the cafeteria. Burger King. We need not discuss this further in terms of "healthy lifestyle choices", and I'll openly confess that I have a big moral problem with an institution putatively committed to health having a Burger King on premises.
I was stunned at the caloric underestimation data they cite, and the fact that we're all particularly bad at figuring out calories on very high calorie foods- even my friends and colleagues with dietary training. I admit that when I'm watching what I eat I struggle tremendously with eating out, largely because of the portion sizes that are often involved. While I've successfully trained myself that 1/2 of a Cafe Rio salad is a complete supper (well, I'm guessing that it is!), that's not always an easy thing to do in other venues and with other foodstuffs. Certainly there are nights (***my last trip to Cucina Toscana***) when I'm just going to happily eat everything in front of me; that is, however, a tremendous exception. I don't have that average 5.8 meals per week that are generated outside of the home- my average is probably 2, with it being slightly higher if I'm having a bad work week or if I'm traveling. I practice pretty aggressive portion control at home. And I do actually tend to my fiber and saturated fat intake.
I know the proposed labeling measures for restaurants are often considered an avenue for obesity prevention, and I suppose that is somewhat true. But I also see them as a health promotion and disease prevention measure, as well as a health education opportunity. No, I don't want government interference in every corner of our lives. I spend too much of my time caring about people's health and trying to educate them about the things that I can to not support a basic measure like this. I know that I would appreciate it- and it might just convince me that I really should split that dessert with you.