Leftover Chinese won’t be as appetizing the second time around.
Researchers at General Electric have developed a tool that can quickly measure the calories in your food by utilizing three pieces of information: fat content, water content and weight. (The calories from all the other constituents of food — such as sugar, fiber and protein — can be approximated by subtracting the water and fat weight from the total weight.) Using this data, the device is able to approximate the calories of your meal. The team at GE Research is hoping to eventually incorporate the technology into everyday kitchen appliances, like your microwave, to increase health-conscious attitudes in the home. Wait, are we actually using the words “microwave” and “healthy” in the same sentence?
The actual device is still in the prototype phase and currently only works with blended foods — it analyzes meals by passing low-energy microwaves through them and currently requires a homogenous mixture to get an accurate reading. So, unless you’re on the baby food diet, you’re going to have to wait until the device works on solid foods.
The product’s ultimate goal is to be able to scan and determine a meal’s calories in just a few seconds. While this device sounds pretty neat and advanced and a much better alternative to whipping out a food scale at your next dinner party, will it actually improve our food choices or overall health? Probably not. If your food is going into the microwave, that means it’s finished being prepared and most of the actual cooking is done already. Practically speaking, when you finally realize that you’ve composed a calorie-laden meal, there’s little you can do about it now that all of the prep-work is complete.
Your basic choices are: A. throw it away and start over or B. administer some self-control and eat less of it. And we both have eaten enough reheated pizza to know that the latter is not going to happen.
At its most basic level, this microwave will essentially be no different than a calorie counter, like the ones we have become used to seeing in various chain restaurants under Obama’s Affordable Care Act. The calorie label clause mandates that “each restaurant chain with over 20 locations is required to display the calorie content of each food and drink item it serves on signs and printed menus.” Seems like a feasible idea, right? The shock value of a Big Mac’s calorie content should be enough to scare you into ordering a salad instead. This is a good idea in theory, but multiple studies have found that calorie labeling isn’t effective in combating obesity and raising general nutrition awareness.
A research team led by an NYU Medical School professor studied mostly low-income adults in Philadelphia and found that the mandate had no effect at all on fast-food consumption, and that two-thirds of McDonald’s customers didn’t even notice the new labels. Furthermore, according to Dr. Brian Elbel, assistant professor of Population Health and Health Policy at NYU School of Medicine, “After labeling began in Philadelphia, about 10 percent of the respondents in our study said that calorie labels at fast-food chains resulted in them choosing fewer calories.” The same research team found similar results in New York City, in which the overall impact of the legislation was limited. So why should a microwave that merely posts calories be any more effective? You’re still going to eat your meal regardless. And it probably won’t stop you from making the same meal again.
Furthermore, relying solely on caloric information won’t help consumers make better nutritional choices. You can eat a 400 calorie salad or you can eat a 400 calorie chocolate bar — the calories are the same, but the nutrients and health benefits are completely different. Without a more comprehensive nutritional breakdown (i.e. carbohydrates, cholesterol, sodium), how will this microwave help consumers choose healthier alternatives? You can’t rely on calories alone to improve your diet. Unless this microwave is physically swatting away those reheated french fries, our power to ignore the calorie label usually triumphs over our power to ignore the food. While the device might help consumers become more aware of their daily caloric consumption, it won’t necessarily lead to any increased health benefits.
Bottom line: like every other weight-loss gimmick, this microwave is one big tool.
Via: EliteDaily
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