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Unrealistic serving sizes

Unrealistic serving sizes

Do you know anyone who eats only ¾ cup cereal, ½ cup of ice cream, or 1 cup of soup at a sitting? Probably not. Even children eat more than that.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a consumer advocacy group in Washington, is urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revise its serving-size regulations as many people underestimate serving size.

Labels for canned soup, ice cream, coffee creamer and non-stick cooking sprays understate the calories and sodium consumers are likely to eat. Canned soup, in particular, presents a clear example of how unrealistic the stated serving sizes are. Labels for Campbell’s Chunky Classic Chicken Noodle soup, for example, indicate that a serving size is 1 cup — a little less than half a can with 790 milligrams of sodium. But in a telephone survey commissioned by CSPI, 64 percent of consumers surveyed said they would eat the whole can at one time and only 10 percent of consumers say they eat a 1-cup portion!  Chances are you are getting closer to 1500 mg sodium. Ice cream serving sizes are also unrealistic. The serving size is a half-cup of ice cream—a quarter of a pint.  However, many people eat closer to a whole cup. And some people probably eat an entire pint.

In my experience counseling overweight patients, and as I wrote in my book The Portion Teller Plan, so many people underestimate how many calories they consume, in part because people think that a serving is whatever amount they eat, and pay little attention to the amount of food listed on a package label. And since typical portions have grown in size, the amount of food you usually buy these days is much more than the amount listed on a package label. After all, I have never seen an ice cream shop sell ½ cup serving. (And if they did, consumers would probably complain!) Kiddie sizes usually contain at least 1 cup of ice cream.

Anahad O’Conner from The New York Times has an excellent summary.  The foods shown above, from the NYT article, are typically underestimated by many consumers.  http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/02/the-problem-with-serving-sizes/?ref=health

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Certain foods may pack on pounds.

Certain foods may pack on the pounds.

A new study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine by researchers from Harvard University found that certain foods pack on the pounds while other foods can actually be diet-friendly and help people lose weight when consumed regularly.

The researchers stressed that the quality of food choices, and not just calories, are key to maintaining a healthy weight.

French fries, potato chips and sweet drinks can pack on the pounds, the researchers found. Subjects who regularly consumed potato chips and other potato products, soda, and processed and unprocessed meat gained on average 3.35 pounds in four years. No surprise, especially since the portion size—and the calorie counts– of some of these foods have more than doubled in the last 30 years. These days, it is easy to buy a 20-ounce bag of chips, a 64 ounce soda, and a single-serve order of French fries which weighs in at a half a pound.

In an interesting twist, the research found that certain foods can actually help you lose weight. Yogurt, nuts, fruits, and whole grains may actually help eaters lose weight.

Eating whole grains as opposed to processed grains can make a big difference in weight loss, according to the research. Refined grains can add a half-pound every four years, while whole grains can subtract a half-pound during the same time period. Including an extra serving of nuts also prevented participants from gaining a half-pound.

While some of the findings need further explanations—why, for instance, did eating all types of potatoes (including baked potatoes) cause more weight gain than say eating sweets and desserts?!—the general take away message offers support for eating more fruits, veggies, and whole grains, and eating fewer chips and processed foods, and drinking sugar-laden soft drinks.

As a nutritionist counseling clients trying to lose weight, here is a key take home message: eating certain foods may help you lose weight and they should be included in your diet while others can pack on pounds. Making simple swaps to your diet can help you lose weight. Here are a few examples.

  • Skip the chips and add mixed nuts as a healthy snack.
  • Limit the soda and drink flavored seltzer instead.
  • Skip the fries and have a salad instead.

And a few other lifestyle habits which the researchers found make a difference: include regular physical activity, limit TV viewing, and be sure to get enough sleep.

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Eat MORE to lose weight!

Eat MORE to lose weight.

Tara Parker Pope of the New York Times reports on research showing that eating MORE of certain foods can control calories and stave off hunger. Such foods include adding cayenne pepper as well as pureed vegetables to various dishes. I am pleased to applaud that adding veggies to various dishes is a great idea; they add volume to your food, and are packed with antioxidants, and fiber which helps you to feel full. Professor Barbara Rolls from Penn State University and author of the excellent Volumetrics books has done research showing that that adding veggies to casseroles results in fewer calories per serving. So dieters can eat the same amount of food for fewer calories! And both Jessica Seinfeld and Sneaky Chef Missy Chase Lapine have published cookbooks where they have added healthy ingredients into kids’ favorite meals.

In my counseling practice, I have found that  getting clients to eat MORE fruits and vegetables is a great tool for dieters as that they do not have to stare at a half empty plate. Feeling satisfied and having a full plate of food may also keep you motivated and help you stick to your plan.

Here are some ideas that have worked well for my clients and will hopefully work well for you:

  • Start your meal with a low-cal veggie based soups.
  • When making a soup or a bean dish, throw in a mix of veggies to add bulk and volume.
  • Add assorted vegetables into casseroles and pasta dishes.
  • Bake brownies or other favorite desserts with pureed fruits and veggies.
  • And, be sure to include a fruit or veggie serving to each meal.
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The food industry says “eat more!”

While the newly released Dietary Guidelines say “eat less”, the food industry serves more!

One of the consumer messages from the newly released Dietary Guidelines suggest that we “avoid oversized portions.” This is an excellent recommendation given that 68% of us are considered overweight and the report from the Dietary Guideline Advisory Committee indicated that obesity is “the single greatest threat to public health in this century.”  Losing weight is about eating less and moving more. From the food intake side of the equation, one of the best ways to lose weight is to eat smaller portions which have fewer calories than large portions.

But if you eat out, easier said than done! The LA Times recently reported on new menu items loaded with calories, salt, and fat. Some of these items contain an entire day’s worth of calories! The article is titled “Eat less, U.S. says as fast-food chains super-size their offerings.”

Here goes:

McDonald’s Angus Bacon Cheese Wrap contains 790.

All-American Jack from Jack in the Box Inc. –a  sandwich with two jumbo beef patties and two kinds of cheese, contains 840 calories.

Taco Bell Corp.’s Beefy Crunch Burrito meal: ground beef, rice, nacho cheese sauce, sour cream and spicy Fritos wrapped in a tortilla, plus cinnamon twists on the side and a medium soft drink, contains 1,390 calories.

Carl’s Jr.’s Footlong Cheeseburger has 850 calories.

Burger King’s Stuffed Steakhouse: a third of a pound of beef stuffed with jalapenos and cheese, has 600 calories.

I’ve got many more examples of jumbo sizes that I’m compiling. If you come across anything, please share.

In a word, OY-VAY! Steer clear of these items. Or share a dish with SEVERAL friends. And drink lots of water. And, perhaps start training for a marathon!

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Eyeballing serving sizes

Eyeballing serving sizes: a visual guide

As I often tell my clients, if you happen to be cooking and eating at home, it is a great idea to measure your food on occasion, as a way to gauge how much food you actually eat. (Most of us think we eat less—often much less—than we actually eat.) But if you don’t have easy access to a food scale, or if you regularly eat out, it’s helpful to use everyday objects to visualize healthy portions.

To help you eyeball some standard serving sizes, here are some simple visuals from my book The Portion Teller Plan. I have developed a set of useful images of real life objects, like baseballs and walnuts, as dimensional indicators for standard serving sizes of commonly consumed foods.  Because most of us can visualize these objects, it’s a great way to keep portions in check. It makes you think about how much food you’re piling on your plate.

  • Nuts, 1/4 cup = golf ball
  • Salad dressing or olive oil, 2 tablespoons = shot glass
  • Peanut butter, 2 tablespoons = walnut in a shell
  • Ice cream, ½ cup = ½ baseball
  • Cheese, 2 oz = 8 dice
  • Pasta or rice, 1 cup = baseball
  • Oil, 1 teaspoon = water-bottle cap
  • Meat, fish, or poultry, 3 ounces = deck of cards
  • Bread, 1 ounce slice = CD case

Here’s a slide show I worked on with msn.com with useful visuals. Enjoy!

The Australian edition of Woman’s Day featured a full page article on some of the visuals from The Portion Teller Plan. [ NOTE: The Aussies have become big like us so they can use some portion-control tips.]

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McDonald’s Japan beefing up portions!

McDonald’s Japan is beefing up portions!

Americans are fat enough. And McDonald’s certainly hasn’t helped the situation by offering jumbo portions of cheap unhealthy foods. Yes—the company did away with its 42 oz “Supersize” soda after the movie Super Size Me debuted in 2004 (I made an appearance discussing growing portion sizes in the US.) The largest soda today is a 32-oz quart, called “Large.” (This 32-oz “Large”, by the way, was the same size of the original “Supersize” when first marketed in 1988.) As I wrote in The Portion Teller Plan, and in several academic papers with my NYU colleague Dr Marion Nestle, today’s Large is nearly 5 times the original size soda, which was a mere 7 oz (no where to be found today), when McDonald’s opened in the 1950s.

Well now, McDonald’s Japan is beginning to supersize some of its menu offerings. As reported in the Wall Street Journal last week, in an effort to boost sagging sales, McDonald’s Japan is introducing the “Big America2” series menu featuring several jumbo burgers named after US locales. The Idaho burger—containing beef, cheese, bacon, deep fried hash browns– set to debut at the end of January will contain more than 700 calories! McDonald’s is hoping it’s calorie laden burgers will be good for business.  As the authors Mariko Sanchanta and Yoree Koh write: “McDonald’s is banking on oversized burgers stuffed with nachos, hash browns or chili.”  And the company is going to use twitter and bloggers to spread the word.

Obesity rates in Japan are currently much lower than they are in the US. Pretty soon, however, if McDonald’s Japan supersizes its other menu offerings, the Japanese may become supersized like us. Hopefully not.

Here’s a healthful tip: When in Japan, choose sushi, veggies, and brown rice!!

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Posted in Dieting, Food portion, McDonald's, Obesity, Portion Teller, Portion control, Portion size, Serving size, Super Size Me, Weight control | No Comments »

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