Would you change your mind if you knew that the cookie you ate for lunch takes 15 minutes of sweating on the treadmill to burn off? According to health experts, most people would.
Experts at the Royal Society for Public Health in the U.K. believe that "activity equivalent" labels that indicate how much exercise is needed to expend the calories in foods will help reverse the worldwide obesity epidemic.
"The Royal Society for Public Health has called for the introduction of 'activity equivalent' calorie labelling, with symbols showing how many minutes of several different physical activities are equivalent in the calories expended to those in the product," the experts wrote in an editorial.
"The aim is to prompt people to be more mindful of the energy they consume and how these calories relate to activities in their everyday lives, to encourage them to be more physically active," they explained.
The experts noted that data from public polling reveals that 44 percent of people report being confused by the information on nutrition labels, and 53 percent believe that they would adopt healthier lifestyle changes if nutrition labels included activity equivalent calorie information. People reported that activity equivalent calorie information would help them choose healthier foods, eat smaller portions and engage in more physical activity.
"We desperately need innovative initiatives to change behavior at population level," said Shirley Cramer, chief executive at the Royal Society of Public Health.
The authors of the editorial believe that requiring companies to put "activity equivalent" information in their food product labels could help reverse the current obesity epidemic by promoting active lifestyles.
"Placing information on food and drink packaging to promote an active lifestyle could be a logical solution to a multifaceted problem, and the benefits of being active go far beyond maintaining a healthy weight," they wrote.
"Given its simplicity, activity equivalent calorie labelling offers a recognizable reference that is accessible to everyone," Cramer explained.
The experts also addressed concerns that activity labels on food products could promote eating disorders.
"Some concerns have been raised about activity equivalent calorie labelling and possible negative implications for people with eating disorders-but we have a responsibility to promote measures to tackle the biggest public health challenges facing our society, such as obesity. In any future development of activity equivalent calorie labels, these risks can be mitigated by working with groups who have concerns about the unintended effects of this information," they said.
The editorial was published in the April 6 issue of the British Medical Journal.
