It’s been a week, and I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about the new DDSmart menu at Dunkin’ Donuts. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the chain, think of Starbucks for average folks. It has a funky pink, orange and brown color scheme, great coffee and the best glazed chocolate donuts around. Don’t ever — ever — try to take one away from me.

This week the chain (which has grown the past few years far beyond its Northeast/New England stronghold) announced its first-ever menu of better-for-you foods and beverages. It includes new egg white sandwiches, as well as existing items that were moved under the DDSmart umbrella, such as unsweetened ice tea, and reduced calorie smoothies.

So, here’s my problem: When a donut chain jumps on the health and wellness bandwagon, I begin to fret. Is there nowhere left in the food universe where a consumer can feel unabashedly self-indulgent? Sure, I strive to eat well, exercise and take care of myself. But it’s gotten to the point where you can’t go anywhere without being reminded to eat well, exercise and take care of yourself.

I go to places like Dunkin’ Donuts to get away from health and wellness, as a guilty pleasure and a reward for all my good living and conscientious consuming. And I’ll continue to be a customer. But I know how this works. The DDSmart signs are going to be shouting at me from the window and the service counter. For this consumer, glazed chocolate donuts are going to start being more about guilt, and less about pleasure.

Many people have been waiting to see how Whole Foods Market would perform in this faltering economy. Yesterday came the answer: The company eliminated its dividend, scaled back expansion, got out of new store leases where it could, and announced plans to cut down on discretionary spending.

Of course, more than the economy is at work here. WFM is still working to integrate the Wild Oats chain, which is acquired last year for $565 million. But let’s face it. The evidence indicates that a large number of shoppers are abandoning the chain and trading down.

Whole Foods has fought back by promoting new prices on many grocery items, but that only goes so far. Try as it might, the company isn’t known for having competitive prices on yogurt and cereal. CEO John Mackey has built WFI’s reputation on high-quality perishables, and its standards almost preclude it from offering anything less than organic, free-range, humane-certified, sustainably-harvested fresh foods. Just about all of it is beyond the average consumers’ budget.

Whole Foods’ problem is that — in taking the high road and bringing its message to the masses — it never developed a strategy to lower itself back down to where the rest of us are currently shopping. It’s lonely at the top, and apparently, pretty expensive.

Here’s an interesting question: Could supermarkets benefit from promoting smaller portions? It’s in the food industry’s best interest, of course, for people to buy as much food as possible. But with health concerns and the economy being what they are, shoppers are beginning to think less about eating more food, and more about eating the right food.

Wegmans sees an opportunity in this less-is-more theory. Last week the Rochester-based retailer announced its “Half-Plate Guide”, a four-step method aimed at helping people choose nutritious foods and limit what they eat. To whit: Low calorie fruits and vegetables should take up one half of the plate, while meat and pasta can fill out the other half.

We’ve seen this in abundance lately with manufacturers. The 100-calorie pack craze comes immediately to mind. However, the Wegmans guide is the first case we can think of where the portion control concept has spread out into the aisles. It’s actually not that cavalier of a plan if you think about it — the guide calls for a full plate of food, including meat and vegetables. Most people probably eat close to that anyway.

It’s a great plan, in fact, if you consider how much food Americans waste — 27%, according to a recent story in The New York Times. Indeed, lean times have made many more people aware of not only what they’re eating, but what they’re throwing in the garbage as well.

Call it portion control, or call it getting the most bang for your buck. Either way, the food will still taste great, and there’ll be healthy peace of mind for leftovers.

You don’t have to suffer from diabetes to take advantage of a new online program launched this week by the American Diabetes Association. The interactive nutrition tool, called My Food Advisor, allows users to search by calories (foods under 200 calories), fiber (over 4 grams), or sodium (under 70 grams). An expansive food database features a variety of foods, from antelope to Zesty Chicken Border Bowl, made by Taco Bell (which has its own nutrition guide on its website).

One of the best functions is “Create a Dish,” which allows users to input ingredients to determine if a finished product fits meal program goals. It measures the same components found on the Nutrition Facts panel, including calories, saturated fat, carbohydrates, sodium and fiber.

What’s in it for supermarket retailers? Why does this merit coverage? Websites like this make everyone’s life easier. Staff dietitians can use the site for reference or refer a shopper to it; deli managers might be able to input ingredients going into store-made potato salad and get a rough snapshot of its nutrition content; store associates can use it as part of a chain-wide employee health initiative.

As I said, this type of program is for everyone — not just diabetics — because a diet framed by diabetes is healthful for all of us: Go easy on the sugar, eat a lot of fiber, get exercise and be conscious of what you eat.

Nutrition Facts panels are mandatory on all food products sold in the United States. Everything else, while it might be regulated or monitored, is usually structured around promotional language scripted by the manufacturer.

This is especially true with whole health product claims - Low Fat! Omega 3! Bird Friendly! These pronouncements are the most obvious features on the package, and often are more easier for consumers to interpret than the percentages and grams and tongue-twisting ingredients listed on the backside.

What are shoppers reading? New research out from The Nielsen Company shows that more shoppers are reading labels. Nearly two-thirds — 65% — of U.S. consumers said they notice nutritional information on food packaging more often now compared to two years ago. That’s good. Even better is the the 67% who stated they “mostly” understand the nutritional information they’re reading.

The chart at right lists the top items shoppers are checking for when they read labels. The report doesn’t specify what these folks are reading — whether its the Nutrition Facts, on-pack claims or any of the assorted other tidbits printed on the box. Nielsen describes it as “nutrition labels.”

I have no doubt they are scrutinizing packages more; but I doubt consumers truly understand how to decipher the words, symbols and numbers. For instance, do they realize that many packages contain two or more servings, and that the nutrition information applies to only one? Do they know all the names used for the various forms of high fructose corn syrup? Do they realize that low fat does not always mean low calorie?

Looked at from this point of view, one wonders if consumers would be as confident of their label-reading abilities as they were in the poll.