Do You Want Calories With That?

Waistline-watching Harvard students might do a double-take this fall when they return to b.good, the healthy hamburger joint in Harvard Square.

This past July, the Dunster St. eatery changed—and mostly increased—the advertised calorie counts of most of its food offerings, ranging from “oven-crisped” fries to “house-ground” turkey burgers, though most of the ingredients and preparations stayed the same, according to b.good’s co-owner, Anthony S. Ackil ’99.

In some cases, the calorie measurement more than doubled. The calories measured in the fries, for example, jumped 165 calories, from 120 to 285, while the count in the Asian chicken salad increased from 262 to 399.
The calorie count of the burgers, though, decreased slightly on average. The standard “Cousin Oliver” burger now weighs in at 429 calories, down from 456.

The original measurements were performed by a nutritionist, who estimated a menu item’s calories based on its recipes, Ackil said. The new tabulations come from lab tests that determine calorie counts through repeated tests of each offering—a more costly, and more accurate, measurement method.
 
“Once we were able to save up enough money, because it’s very expensive to test things in the lab, we sent all our food to the lab,” Ackil added.
In the future, b.good will send all its prospective food selections to a lab to measure its calorie content.

Alexander M. Meyer ’10, who goes to b.good “pretty much every day” and who regularly orders the “El Guapo” with coleslaw—the calorie count of which fell from 486 to 465 in the new tests—said the adjustments would not deter him from frequenting the restaurant.

“I’m not really concerned about the calories,” Meyer said.

Carolyn C. Buckley ’09 said that while the change didn’t bother her, she knows that “a lot of people do go to b.good because they’re looking to eat something healthier.”

“I can definitely see why people who are trying to count calories and diet would go there, and then feel like they were lied to,” she said.

Karin B. Michels, an associate professor at the School of Public Health and the Medical School who teaches Freshman Seminar 25k, “You Are What You Eat,” praised b.good’s decision to post the new calorie counts, even if the previous measurements had proved erroneous.

Showing nutrition facts helps consumers, most of whom have no idea of the caloric or fat content of their food, make informed eating decisions, Michels said.

Ackil said that even with the added calories, b.good’s food still tends to be lighter than that of many other fast-food chains.

“Go onto McDonald’s Web site, and look at what their large fries are compared to ours,” he said.

It’s 570 calories for a 6 oz. serving at McDonald’s, and 285 for a 5 oz. portion at b.good.

—Staff writer Margot E. Edelman can be reached at medelman@fas.harvard.edu.