In the coming Congressional session, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, will, again, push for greater, health-focused legislation attempts to require restaurants to list the fat, sodium and calorie content of their food on their menus.

While urging new health legislation is nothing new for Harkin, he may gain some traction in the midst of the country’s greater scrutiny on national health.

We’ve seen this before: Both New York and California, as recently as this past year, practice and enforce such legislation.

Although we initially weren’t thrilled with the idea of having the law come down on our blissfully ignorant love for fast food (cheeseburgers only have 150 calories, right?), reactions to the laws in both states have not been completely unfavorable.

It seems as though New York and California consumers affected by similar legislation are shocked by the high calorie and fat content in their favorite meals and snacks and are opting for more healthy alternatives.

So, in effect, the legislation isn’t changing reality by banning your 1,500-calorie omelet, they’re merely changing your perception of reality by giving you the nutritional rundown.

Unlike recent smoking bans, you still reserve the right to eat as many super size fries as you’d like, only now you have the option of observing their nutritional information and subsequently making your food choice with regard to, or disregarding that information.

Other concerns arise from this, however. Could Harkin’s attempt to create a healthier nation through the fast food nutritional information requirements lead to bans?

After all, smoking bans began with danger information on their labels, and bans of certain foods containing trans-fats have already been enacted. Whether we were for or against the smoking legislation, we see a connection at some level between fast food and cigarettes, but we don’t want this legislation to lead to food bans.

While the good health of our citizens is a national concern, we still hold that the choice to eat healthy should lie with the individual.

If Harkin just wants the nation’s citizens to be more educated on what they’re eating in hopes of wiser decision-making, we see little harm.

What we hope not to see, however, is for this to lead to further bans on food. We’d prefer not to eat our double cheeseburgers on the other side of Lincoln Way.