Eye on Blogs

If you go to The Cheesecake Factory tonight in Macy's in San Francisco and order the seemingly healthy wasabi-crusted ahi tuna [1750 calories], mac and cheese (because you were good and got the tuna) [1309 calories], with a Caesar salad to start [860 calories] and a peanut butter cup fudge ripple cheesecake slice for dessert [1326 calories], you won't learn until tomorrow, when chain restaurants across California will be forced to print nutrition information about their items directly on the menu, that you will have ingested 5,245 calories and 159 grams of saturated fat in a single meal. The daily recommended intake for most people is 2,000 calories and 20 grams of saturated fat...all day.

And if you think people don't order those sorts of meals at chain restaurants, you're deluding yourself. Many people eat this way several times a week.

So, what do you think: Will the printing of nutrition information in chain restaurants change consumer habits, thereby forcing the chain industry to change its fat and calorie laden ways?

When you pop into McDonalds tomorrow for your burger break or into Denny's for a quick grand slam, here are some of the numbers you will be faced with:

McDonalds:
Chocolate Triple Thick® Shake (32 fl oz cup) 1160 calories, 27 grams of fat
Double Quarter Pounder® with Cheese  740 calories, 42 grams of fat
Large French Fries  500 calories, 25 grams of fat

Sonic:
Super Sonic Cheeseburger  980 calories, 64 grams of fat
Peanut Butter Shake (large) 1010 calories, 59 grams of fat

In n Out:
Double Double 670 calories, 51 grams of fat

Taco Bell:
Chicken Ranch Fully Loaded Taco Salad  960 calories, 56 grams of fat
Nachos Bell Grande 760 calories, 42 grams of fat
Mountain Dew, large  550 calories, 146 grams of sugar (!!!!!)

Denny's:
Heartland Sramble  1150 calories, 66 grams of fat
Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Honey Mustard  970 calories, 58 grams of fat
Double Cheeseburger 1540 calories, 116 grams of fat

Are you ready, California? Oh, you don't need to be ready, do you, Little Miss Never Eats at a Chain. You can bet your (expanding?) ass that many, many, many restaurants that are not chains serve up just as horrific a calorie bomb as the things above, even if they are made with locally raised, organic ingredients. Cooking yourself is the only sure fire way to know exactly how much you are consuming, unless you've got the numbers right in front of you (and even then, it's iffy). Would non-chains who made this info available right on the menu turn you on or off to their spot?

Your thoughts on mandatory nutrition information goes below.

RELATED: Scanned .gif images of Cheesecake Factory's entire menu, which may or may not be printed on sheets of lard.