Bagels as big as frisbees. Muffins the size of flower pots.
Bowls of pasta so deep, your fork can barely find the bottom.
It's not surprising that waistlines of kids and adults have
been expanding over the last few decades. Part of the problem is
undoubtedly what families eat - too much saturated fat, too much
sugar, and not enough nutrients. But another part has as much to do
with quantity as quality. Are our plates simply piled too high?
Portion Distortion
Portion sizes began to increase in the 1980s and have been
skyrocketing ever since. Our perception of portions has become so
distorted over time that, research shows, it's hard for us to
recognize what a normal portion looks like.
Take bagels, for example. Twenty years ago, the average bagel
had a 3-inch diameter and 140 calories. Today, bagels have a 6-inch
diameter and 350 calories. Eat one and you've just consumed
three servings of grains - that's half the recommended number
of grain servings for the entire day.
In fact, we've become so desensitized to "big
food" that we don't bat an eye when restaurants offer us
things like neverending pasta bowls, bottomless fries, or 52-ounce
mugs of soda. And we don't think it's strange that, in some
cafes, we can't even order a "small" anymore - just
variations of big, bigger, and biggest. No wonder car manufacturers
had to start building bigger cup holders!
The price we pay for such overabundance is high. Kids and
adults who consistently overeat are at risk for developing
weight problems and the medical problems associated with being
overweight, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol,
type 2 diabetes
, bone and joint problems, breathing and sleeping problems, and
even depression. Later in life they are at greater risk for heart
disease, heart failure, and stroke.
The Truth About Serving Sizes
One reason that kids and adults eat too much at meals is that
they tend to eat what is on their plate. Thus, as portions have
gone up, so have the calories consumed. So it's helpful to
understand the difference between serving sizes and recommended
amounts of different foods.
Serving sizes.
Contrary to popular belief, the serving size on a
food label
is
not
telling you the amount you
should
be eating. The serving size is a guide to help you see how many
calories and nutrients - as well as how much fat, sugar, and salt -
are in a specific quantity of that food.
Sometimes the serving size on the food label will be a lot less
than you are used to eating or serving. In some cases, it's
perfectly OK (and even a good idea) to eat and serve more than the
serving size listed. For example, if you're cooking frozen
vegetables and see the serving size is 1 cup, it's no problem
to serve or eat more because most vegetables are low in calories
and fat yet high in nutrition.
But when it comes to foods that are high in calories, sugar, or
fat, the serving size is a useful guide to alert you that you may
be getting more than is healthy. If your son gulps down a 20-ounce
bottle of soda in one sitting, the amount he consumed is 20 ounces.
But if the label shows the serving size is 8 ounces, not only did
he have 21/2 servings, he also had 21/2 times the listed calories
as well as 21/2 times the sugar.
Recommended amounts.
Serving sizes tell you how much nutrition you're getting from a
particular food but they don't tell you which foods you need to
stay healthy - or how much of those foods you should eat.
That's where the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
MyPyramid
comes in.
MyPyramid offers guidelines to help you figure out how much food
kids and adults should have, based on age, gender, and level of
physical activity. Once you know that, you can decide how much of
those heaping restaurant portions your family should actually
eat!
Visual Cues
Now that we're so used to overdoing it, is it possible to
bring portion sizes back to earth? Yes. But first we have to
understand how much food our bodies need as opposed to how much
they want. MyPyramid can help you calculate the amount of each food
group required based on age, gender, and activity level.
A great way to visualize appropriate portion sizes is to use the
concept of the "divided plate." Think of a plate divided
into four equal sections. Use one of the top sections for protein,
and the other one for starch, preferably a whole grain; fill the
bottom half with veggies (none of the foods should overlap or be
piled high). Partitioning the plate this way not only will help you
keep portions under control, but will help you to serve more
balanced meals for your family.
Portion-Control Tips
Picture your favorite meal at your favorite restaurant. Now
picture it 75% smaller. Would you be a happy customer?
It's easy to understand why the food industry tends to serve
us way more food than is necessary: We all love to feel like
we're getting more bang for our buck. But that's also why
it's important to take responsibility for our own portions and
to help kids learn to do the same.
Here are some tips:
- Explain the concept of the "divided plate" to your
kids and use it as often as you can.
- Serve food on smaller plates so meals look larger. A sandwich
on a dinner plate looks lost; on an appetizer plate it looks
downright hefty.
- When cooking large batches or storing leftovers, separate
them into smaller portions before you put them in the fridge or
freezer. That way, when your family reaches in, they'll
automatically grab a portion that makes sense.
- Avoid letting kids take an entire bag of chips or a container
of ice cream to the couch. Everyone will be far less likely to
overdo it if you serve individual portions in the kitchen.
- Serve meals at the counter and avoid bringing the whole pot
to the table. Not keeping the food at arm's length can make
your family think twice about reaching for seconds. If they do
want seconds, offer more veggies or salads.
- Try single-serving sizes to help your family learn what an
appropriate portion is. These days all kinds of snacks and
beverages are available in "100-calorie" portions. (Of
course, the trick is to eat just one!)
- Aim for three scheduled healthful meals and one or two
healthy snacks throughout the day. Skipping a meal often leads to
overeating at the next one.
- Add more salads and fruit to your family's diet,
especially at the start of a meal, which can help control hunger
and give a sense of fullness while controlling calorie
intake.
- Try not to rush through meals. Go slowly and give everyone a
chance to feel full before serving more. Family sit-down meals
also provide valuable opportunities to reconnect with one
another.
- Be aware that most restaurant portions are three or
four times the recommended serving size. Try sharing meals,
ordering an appetizer as a main dish, ordering kids' meals
(especially at fast-food restaurants), or packing up half to take
home before you begin to eat.
- Don't be tempted to go for the giant value meal or the
jumbo drink just because they're just a few cents more than
the regular size. The "deal" is no value when it
triples your family's calories!
- Don't serve kids large portions or expect them to clean
their plates. Not only do kids need less food than adults, but
studies show that preschoolers do a better job controlling
portion size when they're allowed to serve themselves.
Getting Kids Involved
If you preach to your kids about portion control, chances are
they'll tune out faster than you can say Big Gulp. A better way
to go is to get them actively involved in figuring out how much is
a reasonable amount to eat.
A serving of rice is about the same size as an ice cream scoop,
so let your child use the scoop to serve "rice cream" to
the family. A piece of meat should be about the size of a deck of
cards, so see how that chicken breast measures up. And why not
break out the kitchen scale while you're at it? Weighing or
measuring food may not be your idea of fun, but it probably is to
your kids - plus it's a great way to reinforce math
concepts.
And don't forget the good news about portions: they work
both ways. You may want to cut back on spaghetti portions,
but you can dish out more than one serving of carrots or green
beans. This can help make the "five a day" fruit and
vegetable goal more attainable.
Remember the role you play in showing kids how to size up
portions. If you eat two heaping helpings of food each night,
that's what your kids will learn too.
As kids grow their appetites will vary depending on a number of
factors. They tend to be more hungry during growth spurts or sports
seasons when they're more active, and less hungry during
downtimes. As their appetites change, keep serving right-sized
portions and encourage them to slow down to enjoy their food. Then
check in on whether they're full before they go for
seconds.
Reviewed by:
Mary L. Gavin, MD
Date reviewed: January 2007
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice,
diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
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