"The portions are huge...and everything is great."
"The portions are huge...and everything is great."
That was a recent review by a “hobby blogger" on their
dining experience and their recommendation for others to eat at the establishment. But do we need more restaurants
to be serving us "huge" proportions?
No!
20 years ago:
Bagel was 3 inches, now 6.
Burgers were 4.5oz, now 8.
Popcorn bag 5 cups, now 11.
Eating in restaurants offers many opportunities to encounter
large portion sizes. While Americans have many choices in restaurants, the food
(especially from fast food restaurants) is often very cheap and available in
large quantities. A study shows that the frequency of eating out, is associated with an increase in energy and fat
intake and with a higher body mass index. -from CDC "Research to Practice
Series".http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition/pdf/portion_size_research.pdf
Food portions in America's restaurants have doubled or
tripled over the last 20 years, a key factor that is contributing to a
potentially devastating increase in obesity among children and adults,
according to National Institute of Health.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/news-events/matte1.htm
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/news-events/matte1.htm
Major health institutions have been working to control people’s
portions.
It is exciting when chefs have made a conscious decision to decrease
their portions size and increase the quality of the food provided to the
guests. This ongoing collaboration is
needed between chefs and public health professionals to ensure that flavorful
reduced-portion menu items are in restaurants, and subsequently reducing food waste.
http://www.epa.gov/foodscraps/fd-reduce.htm
http://www.epa.gov/foodscraps/fd-reduce.htm
