Sizing Up a Serving: Eat Portions "Right for You", November 2000

According to a New York University study, food portion sizes have risen dramatically since the 1980’s, when restaurants began increasing their portion sizes to attract value-conscious consumers. Restaurant labor costs (which account for a large portion of the restaurant’s overhead) are basically unaffected by the size of the food order. Restaurants found they could afford to sell "supersize" portions at prices just slightly higher than smaller servings and still make money.

This "more-is-better" marketing strategy certainly has proved to be successful. Serving sizes once considered enormous have now become the standard menu size. It’s not uncommon to see 1½ pound pasta dishes, ½ pound muffins, double decker burgers, and 64-ounce soft drinks. Where else but in America can you get an 8-ounce "petite" steak or a "small" movie theatre popcorn brimming with 7 cups of either plain or buttered corn?

With Americans now eating more than 40% of their meals away from home, restaurants continue to promote what they perceive customers want—more for their money. For instance, at many popular fast food restaurants, a basic burger, small order of fries, and a small soft drink add up to about 650 calories. But a "value meal" of a "deluxe" type burger, medium fries and medium soft drink dishes up more than 1,200 calories. Then if you "supersize it" to the max, it becomes a 1,800-plus calorie meal! And you get this great deal for only 39¢ more! But what about the expression many of us have no doubt heard, "A bargain is no bargain if you don’t need it." How much food do you need to feel comfortably full?

It’s also interesting to note that as portion sizes have increased, the way we define a "standard" size has increased as well. In a recent study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 100 college students were asked to find a "medium" size bagel, muffin, apple, baked potato and cookie. The items they brought back were as much as three times the amounts defined as standard serving sizes by the USDA’s food pyramid eating guide. This really should not come as a surprise, since it’s so easy to acquire a warped sense of what constitutes a "normal" portion size when we are routinely served larger and larger food portions.

Lets’ face it, each and everyday you are provided with an opportunity to overeat. Perhaps it’s time to ask yourself, "Do I want to overeat again today?"

The important thing to remember, you are in the best position to determine what portion size is right for you. You start by getting in touch with you body’s internal signals of hunger and fullness. Don’t let the restaurant determine your portion, eat only as much as your body needs. If you feel full part way through the box of French fries, for example, then stop eating. There is no reason to finish off the food if you are full. You actually have two options for the "extra" food—pitch it or take it home to eat later (provided it will taste as good later as it does now). If you opt for the doggie bag, then for safety’s sake, remember to refrigerate these leftovers within two hours of being served.

If you find yourself struggling with determining realistic portion sizes, check out the guide below to help you estimate single servings by using familiar objects as a visual reference. Remember, these serving sizes are not meant to dictate the amount of food you eat. You should learn to trust your body’s internal signals of hunger, fullness, and satiety to arrive at how much to eat. Serving sizes are simply guidelines to help you plan and evaluate your own portions. For example, it’s okay to eat two "servings" of pasta, if that’s what you’re body needs—to feel comfortably full and satisfied. On the other hand, if your stomach feels comfortably full after you eat only half of the pasta on your plate, remember that you don’t have to clean your plate! Don’t let the portion sizes served up in restaurants determine how much you eat—you decide what portion size is right for you!

Eyeballing Realistic Portions
Food item:	Imagine one portion as this:
1 medium fruit (apple, orange)	Baseball Tight fist
½ cup chopped fruit or vegetables ½ cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta 1 medium baked potato	Computer mouse Tight fist
1 cup cold cereal	Large handful 1 pair rolled-up sports socks
1 muffin, dinner roll	1 plum
1 ounce cheese	4 stacked dice
3 ounces meat, poultry, fish	Deck of cards Palm of a woman’s hand
1 teaspoon butter, margarine, mayonnaise, peanut butter	Thumb tip
¼ cup nuts, dried fruit	One layer on palm of your hand

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