Should All Fast Food Restaurants Include Calorie Counts? (POLL)

Unless you’re Jared from Subway, few people who are looking for trimmer waistlines head to fast food restaurants.

Yet McDonald’s 14,000 restaurants all over the nation, including over along the Peninsula, have chosen to include calorie counts on their menus ahead of the President Obama’s new healthcare law that requires it, Reuters reported.

Chain restaurants with 20 or more locations must include calorie counts and other nutrition details on menus thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision in June to uphold the healthcare law. The deadline to do so has not been announced.

“We wanted to voluntarily do this,” Jan Fields, president of McDonald’s USA, told The Associated Press. “We believe it will help educate customers.”

You can now calculate how much a Big Mac and large fries is (1,050 calories), or a Sausage Egg McMuffin and a hot chocolate (750 calories.)

Cindy Goody, senior director of nutrition for McDonald's USA, described the company's latest move as a way to help its customers understand their food choices, Reuters reported.

Subway and Panera Bread locations have also started posting calorie counts on their menus.

Do you want to know how many calories are in your food? Do you think this will slow a growing obesity epidemic amongst children? Let us know in the comments.