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Portion sizes rise with the times… how much are you really eating?
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How many servings does a typical fast food meal really contain?
(AP Photo/KFC, Brian Bohannon, File
Obesity is a major health concern in our country, not just for adults but children as well. A quick look at the drastic changes in portion sizes of some of our favorite meals provides some interesting insight into what could be contributing, at least in part, to the growing waistlines of our population.
As average portion sizes served up in restaurants have grown, so has the general perception of what a normal meal should look like. Remember when a quarter pound hamburger was touted as big? Now, many kids’ meals contain a burger that size! A little comparison of average portion sizes of common foods in the 1950’s versus today:
- Fast food French fries then, 2.8 ounces, 210 calories; now, about seven ounces and 600 calories.
- Fountain soda then, about seven ounces; today we slurp down up to 64 ounces in a single beverage!
- A typical hamburger in 1950 was less than two ounces; today they’re approaching 12 ounces on average.
- Pasta used to be served up in a 1 ½ cup serving; now it’s doubled to three cups.
Is it really any wonder so many in our society are struggling to maintain a healthy weight? It takes practice to retrain yourself to recognize healthier portion sizes (and stick to consuming that amount), but there are some common tricks, courtesy of the American Dietetic Association, which have been proven to be effective. Visualize the proper amount of food by using these comparisons:
- A three ounce portion of meat (yes, that’s the recommended portion size) is about the size of a deck of cards.
- A cup of pasta is about the size of a tennis ball…yep, a tennis ball, not a basketball!
- Half of a medium bagel is about the size of a hockey puck; how does that stack up to what is served up at your local bakery?
- Two tablespoons of peanut butter should look about the size of a ping pong ball.
- A serving of cheese, 1 ½ ounces, is the size of three dominos.
- A half-cup serving of vegetables is the size of a light bulb (but no one is going to scold you for supersizing your veggies!).
If need be, keep a decorative bowl or basket with a deck of cards, a tennis ball, a hockey puck, a ping pong ball, some dominos and a light bulb on your kitchen counter until you get used to eyeballing portion sizes easily. At the very least, it’ll be a good conversation starter when guests are in the house!
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