Portion Distortion!

Within the last 20 years the American population experienced a surge in weight gain and now obesity has become an epidemic. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLB) reports that our food portions and serving sizes have tremendously grown. To date, more than 30% of the U.S. population is overweight or obese. Did we mention that obesity among the youth has tripled since 1980? Although the NHLB report uses the years of 1984 to 2004, it gives us a surprising comparison that really becomes shocking if one supersizes a meal in 2010.

Now for a trip down memory lane… Twenty years ago bagels were three inches in diameter and contained a mere 140 calories. Today those not so wonderful bagels are six inches in diameter and contain 340 calories; this doesn’t include the strawberry crème cheese. Sodas 20 years ago were 6.5 ounces with 85 calories. Today a 20 oz beverage contains a whopping 250 calories. The popular chicken Caesar salad is about 3 ½ cups today compared to 1½ cups. The increase in size also increased the caloric content of 390 to 790 calories, a difference of 400 calories. We don’t think Julius would approve. Finally, an American favorite: French fries. Did you know a typical serving of French fries was 2.4 oz 20 years ago and today that serving is 6.9 oz, a calorie increase of 400 calories?

Portion Distortion over 20 years

See more examples and take the interactive calorie quiz at http://2010.nhlbihin.net/portion.

Portion Size & Calories 1984	Portion Size & Calories 2004	Difference
Spaghetti 1 cup/3 small meatballs = 500 Cal	Spaghetti 2 cups/3 large meatballs = 1,025 Cal	525
Coffee 8 ounces/whole milk & sugar = 45 Cal	Coffee Mocha 16 oz coffee/milk & syrup = 350 Cal	305
Cheesecake 3 ounces = 260 Cal	Cheesecake 7 ounces = 640 Cal	380

What you can do to control your portion distortion…

• Ask for calorie content in meals before you order at restaurants. Knowing is half the battle.
• Maintain a healthy weight with a balance act of calories in and calories out
• Join Houston DINEs (Dining Information, Nutrition & Education Campaign) http://houstondines.org/