Healthy Portion Sizes at Restaurants
Restaurant portions are big, really big. I have a very healthy appetite and most times it is a Herculean effort to clean my plate at my favorite restaurant. Many times after eating out for lunch I don’t need to eat again for the rest of the day because the portions are so large. While it may seem like you are getting a good value for your money you certainly end up eating more than you need.
According to a study for the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, the trend toward larger portion sizes has occurred in parallel with increases in the prevalence of obesity. The study sampled foods from the most popular take-out restaurants, fast-food outlets, and family-style diners. The study points out that all of the commonly available food portions measured in the study exceeded USDA and FDA standard portions. Some examples include:
- Servings of cooked pasta are nearly 5 times standard portion sizes.
- Muffins weigh in at over 3 times standard portion sizes.
- The current sizes of french fries, hamburgers, and soda are 2 to 5 times larger than the originals.
- Restaurants are using larger dinner plates, bakers are selling larger muffin tins, pizzerias are using larger pans, and fast-food companies are using larger drink and french fry containers.
- The biggest culprit is cookies, which are as much as 7 times standard portion sizes.
With all this easy-access to large quantities of food, how does one cut back to a proper portion size? For starters, try to cut back on how often you eat in restaurants or get take-out food and try to prepare more meals at home. When you do eat away from home, try these tips to help you control the portions:
- Share your meal with the person you are dining with or order a half-portion.
- Order an appetizer as a main meal.
- Don’t be afraid to take half of your meal home. Better yet, ask for a portion of your meal to be boxed up before you eat so that you aren’t tempted to eat it all.
- Stop eating when you begin to feel full.
- Take your time and eat at a slower pace.
- Be careful on the number of free refills of large sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda or sweetened tea as they have a large number of calories. Try drinking water with a slice of lemon.
- When you are traveling and need to eat our frequently, try packing your own foods. A cooler with fresh fruit, sliced vegetables, and yogurt works nicely. I always bring my own bottled water, dried fruit, and nuts.
- When traveling, try stopping at a local grocery store for a meal instead of a restaurant for every meal. I like to get the pre-made sandwiches or salads.
You can’t rely on the restaurant to serve you the correct portions as they are just doing what their customers are requesting. It is your responsibility to eat the appropriate amount. It takes discipline to stop eating before your plate is empty and knowledge to know what a healthy portion size really is.
Reference:
Young, L., & Nestle, M. (2002). The Contribution of Expanding Portion Sizes to the US Obesity Epidemic. American Journal of Public Health Vol 92, No. 2
Last Updated on June 7th, 2008
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that burger looks yummy! oh my god! where can i get a burger that size? ::mouth waters::