As we recover from our Thanksgiving feasting and prepare for Christmas, our thoughts turn to whether we eat too much.

The federal Food and Drug Administration wants to encourage that thought. Beginning Dec. 1, new rules go into effect that will require retail food establishments and vending machines to post the calorie counts on a broad range of food sold to the public.

It’s a good idea. In a country where the FDA says more that two-thirds of adults and about a third of children are overweight or obese, more information is surely better than less. And as the availability of ready-to-eat meals expands beyond restaurants — think food courts, take-out meals from supermarkets, that $1.50 hot dog and soda from Costco — we find ourselves eating more meals outside the home, and without the basic knowledge of their ingredients or preparation methods.

About a third of the total calories we consume comes from outside the home. The only way to eat better is to make better choices, which depends on good information. In this case, knowledge is indeed power.

The action grew out of a requirement in the 2010 Affordable Care Act requiring labels on restaurant food. Because of the complexity inherent in counting calories for so many different kinds of food products, and the potential burden on the industry, it has taken the FDA more than four years to develop a workable system.

The National Restaurant Association, whose members have a large stake in the FDA’s plan, expressed support, saying that uniform rules would "eliminate the myriad of state and local regulations that have been confusing the public."

Retail establishments include those that sell "restaurant-type food" and are part of a chain with 20 or more locations doing business under the same name and offering for sale substantially the same menu items. This covers much more than a sit-down restaurant menu. It includes a lot of food prepared for immediate or imminent consumption, such as delivery pizza, drive-through orders, popcorn at a movie theater, food from a buffet or salad bar, or self-serve deli or convenience-store food. More detailed information than the calorie counts would have to be provided in writing upon request.

For vending machines, the calorie information could be placed near the article of food or the selection button by a person owning or operating 20 or more machines.

The establishments have a year to comply and some flexibility in how they do so.

There’s some disagreement about whether this type of information encourages people to make better choices. What limited studies have been done on the subject are inconclusive. For instance, researchers for Carnegie Mellon in New York staked out two McDonald’s restaurants — which do list calories on its menu — and concluded that customers considered taste, value and convenience more than calories.

But one also could conclude that health-conscious people don’t often go to McDonald’s. And the FDA wants to reach consumers well beyond fast-food restaurants.

Hawaii has an enviably low obesity rate — at 21.8 percent, we have the second lowest obesity rate in the nation, according to the latest national State of Obesity study. Even so, 21.8 percent is still too high. Hawaii is blessed to have an abundant variety of good food to choose from, and food retailers can be, and have been, much more creative in their offerings.

If consumers armed with knowledge seek out higher-quality meals with fewer calories, retailers will comply. And that’s a healthier outcome for everyone, for the holidays and beyond.