Missing takeout calorie counts
Over the past year, we’ve been eating many more meals at home, either cooking ourselves or ordering in. Food delivery apps are convenient and easy to use, but they’re missing one crucial piece of information: calorie counts. And without the facts, it can be harder to make a healthy choice.
When Karla Peralta is busy, she wants an easy way to feed her kids.
“Sometimes to just go ahead and eat at home, I’ll order takeout,” she says. “That way I don’t have to do dishes, (and) and I don’t have to find ingredients.”
And when you’re busy and hungry, that can sometimes mean an unhealthy meal. Nutrition and calorie information make healthy choices easier. Providing that information is optional for restaurants in British Columbia.
Even if they do decide to share it, the details might not make it onto the menu of third-party delivery service apps like DoorDash, UberEats and SkipTheDishes.
“As online ordering and the use of third party delivery apps exploded during the pandemic, suddenly that info isn’t as easy for consumers to find,” says Consumer Reports’ Catherine Roberts.
Uber, DoorDash and SkipTheDishes said they give restaurants control over their menu and nutrition information on their respective apps.
Nutritionist Amy Keating says it’s still possible to place a healthy takeout order even when calorie counts aren’t available.
“Skip drinks like soda that add extra calories and no nutrition, and seek out the items that feature vegetables, whole grains or beans,” she says. “And because restaurant portions are often oversized, plan to share with a family member or pack up half to eat on another day.”
With files from Consumer Reports
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.