Serving Sizes Have Grown through the Years

How many times have you been to a restaurant and complained that the servings were too small? Unfortunately, today this is a common complaint if the plates are not overflowing. However, did you know that serving sizes have actually grown through the years? And, so have America’s waistlines.

A recent study at Rutgers University just compared the serving sizes of today to that of 20 years ago. This research was done in 2003 and was described in a recent issue of the Journal of American Dietetic Association, and is a replicated 1984 study at Penn State University.

Here are a couple examples of what they found: Diners were offered three sizes of plates, bowls and cups in a buffet-like setting. There were 177 students in the more recent study at Rutgers and 147 students in the 1984 Penn State study. The students in 2003 took 20 percent more cornflakes than students took in 1984, Schwartz said. The glass of orange juice grew by more than 40 percent compared to 20 years ago. That translates into 50 additional calories, or a weight gain of five pounds over the course of a year, if consumed on a daily basis. Dinner and lunch servings grew, too — 50 percent more fruit salad wound up on the plates of the Rutgers students.

Researchers in both studies felt that people are not listening to their bodies, and are eating more with their eyes than their stomachs. Also, the frame of reference for serving sizes is increasing. I find it, myself, that if I ask people how to translate what they ate into amounts, they really don’t know. In fact, many people don’t have any concept of how many calories they are actually eating.

It’s often pointed out that many restaurants serve food in larger plates, which results in more food. People feel that to get the most value for their meal, they need to clean their plates, too. Some of these plates can result in up to 25% more food, which really can increase the amount of calories in a meal! Value pricing in fast food restaurants is an issue, also; people tend to ‘order up’ to get more for their money. However, this translates into more calories, again.

But the most surprising result the Rutgers study pointed out is that the amount of food consumed at home has also increased.

So, what can we learn from this study? My first recommendation to all new clients is to understand what constitutes a ‘serving’. For instance, did you know that ½ cup of rice or pasta is one serving? And, one slice of bread is a serving. For more on serving sizes, the best site available online is http://www.mypyramid.gov. Spend some time on it and read the descriptions of the food groups as well as the suggestions on how to eat healthier. I often provide my clients with a handout that describes servings in common items, such as a computer mouse and a deck of cards. People are able to relate to these items better than a measuring cup.

My second suggestion to all people is to ask for a doggy bag as soon as you receive your food at a restaurant! How many times have you intended to eat half of an entrée, only to find, when you’re all done, that you ate the whole thing? Another good suggestion for eating out is know ahead of time what you would like to eat. Planning can make a big difference when you are trying to watch what you eat in order to lose weight.

Next, can you tell when you’re hungry and when you are no longer hungry? The time to stop eating is BEFORE you are full. Many people don’t listen to what their bodies tell them, today, however. It is just as important to eat when you feel hungry, also. Trying to avoid a meal when you feel hunger actually results in eating more calories, because then you will tend to binge on foods that are not as healthy as if you sat down and ate a planned-out meal.

Finally, be sure to pay attention to what you eat at home. It’s very easy to pull out a box or bag of something to snack on, only to find, again, that you ate the whole thing! Even if it’s a food that is ‘fat free’, this does not mean it’s calorie free!

The bottom line is pay attention to what you’re eating and how much. Learn to listen to your body, eat when you are hungry and stop when you are no longer hungry. If necessary, weigh and measure out food for awhile to get a good sense of what ½ cup and 4 ounces looks like. Regardless of what strategies you use, remember that what you put into your mouth and how many calories you burn through your activity WILL show up on your body! What is your weight goal and what are you doing to achieve it?