Super-sized Portions

Can you remember when the BIG MAC was the “worst” burger a person could get? To provide more and more value, fast food chains and restaurants are offering larger and larger portions of all kinds of food. And it’s not just fast food - I recently saw a recipe for a 44 oz home-made smoothie with 10 cups of fruits and vegetables!

My Mom used to say “Be careful how much you take...don’t let your eyes be bigger than your stomach”. But the trend to value-size meals has taught all of us just that. Because we get large portions outside of the home, we think that we need large portions at home. And we end up eating more.

One research group invited a group of nutritionists to an ice cream social and gave each person a bowl and an ice cream scoop. Some bowls were small and some of them were large and some of the ice cream scoops were small and others were large. The researchers then kept track of what everyone ate. What do you think happened?
If you guessed those who got big bowls and big scoops ate more, you’re right! People who had big bowls ate over 50% more than those who had the small bowls and scoops.

You eat more from large packages even when you aren’t hungry. A study looked at a group who had just eaten lunch and then went directly to a movie. At the movie, half the group was given a medium popcorn and the rest a large. Although the group wasn’t hungry, those who got the large popcorn ate 50% more!

It seems our ability to estimate calories becomes less accurate the larger the portion size becomes.
So what can a family do to combat this trend to portion distortion? It may be easier to change your environment than you're thinking.

First, try to eliminate large packages from your pantry. If you need to buy big bags at a warehouse store, keep the large size package out of sight in a cabinet or break the package up into smaller “portions” for storage. Even if you buy a bag of chips or cookies for snacks, repackage the bag into smaller snack sized plastic bags.

You might want to take a look at your glasses and plates and buy something smaller. There is a natural tendency to “fill-up” a glass, though when you think of it no one needs 20 oz of juice or milk or pop at one time. It may take a trip to the thrift store to find smaller glasses but you can end up saving calories and money by using glasses that hold only 6 to 8 oz. The same goes for plates, instead of 12 inch plates look for those that are 8 inches across. There is no rule that says seconds aren’t allowed if someone is still hungry, but smaller portions at the start will help prevent overeating and waste.

I’d love to hear some of your suggestions for “downsizing” portion expectations.

Tay