Although the new law requiring chains with 20 or more restaurants to post the number of calories in their servings has not yet kicked in, consumers interested in protecting their health—not to mention girth—can easily find that information on the restaurants’ own websites or in some newspapers. Our source for the following list is a recent Washington Post report, which parenthetically mentions that there is no word yet from the Food and Drug Administration about the actual date this important regulation is supposed to take effect. This FDA foot-dragging is endangering families looking for low-budget meals, who might choose more wisely if they were informed about the health-busting calories, salt, sugar and fat-content of the mega-portions many fast-food restaurants are serving. Taking into consideration that the average adult needs no more than 2,000 calories a day, how safe is it to order Applebee’s 1,910-calorie New England fish and chips, which contains 137 grams fat (24 grams of it saturated fat) and 3,150 milligrams of sodium? Or how about P.F. Chang’s China Bistro’s double pan-fried noodles with a combo of meats, clocking in at 1,820 calories, with 84 grams of fat (8 grams of it saturated) and a whopping 7,692 milligrams of sodium? Or Outback Steakhouse’s full rack of baby back ribs with Aussie fries, piling in 1,936 calories, 133 grams fat (56 saturated fat) and 2,741 milligrams sodium? And so onÖ There is a chance that once restaurants are required to post at least the calorie counts and salt, fat and sugar contents of their meals, they will start serving smaller portions, less junk and more real foods. With an increasingly health-conscious populace and incentives to keep healthcare costs under control the restaurants’ own self-interest will push them to change. Dina Eliash Robinson