How Big or Small Should Food Portions Be?

Portion Sizes: How Big or Small Should They Be 42 According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC, see graphic to the right), the average American portion size has increased dramatically since the 1950s with the average restaurant meal being four times as large. American adults weigh, on average, 26 pounds more today than in the 1950s. A Jan. 2013 Public Health and Nutrition Journal study found that 96% of entrees at chain restaurants 40 az 30 oz SODA 20 oz soda exceeded dietary guidelines for fat, sodium, and saturated fat--some coming close to exceeding recommended daily intake maximums for sodium with just one meal. See below for the recommended serving sizes of common foods according to the CDC, FDA, and other experts. 10 az HAMBURGER 67 3.9 FRENCH FRIES 1950s NOW Breakfast Foods the volume of a wine glass one serving of cereal should be the size of one bagel a hockey puck should be the size of one muffin a light bulb should be the size of one serving of pancakes a CD should be the size of one serving of butter a Scrabble tile BUTTER A, BUTTER should be the size of BUTTER one serving of juice a hockey puck should be the size of one serving of waffles a CD should be the size of Lunch & Dinner Foods a deck of cards or the palm of your hand one serving of steak should be the size of one serving of fish a checkbook should be the size of one serving of dry spaghetti a quarter TATES OF should be the size of LIBERTY QUAP DOLLAR one serving of cooked rice or pasta a tennis balI should be the size of one medium baked potato a computer mouse should be the size of one dinner roll a yo-yo should be the size of one serving of chopped raw vegetables a baseball should be the size of one serving of salad dressing a shot glass should be the size of one serving of cooked vegetables a billiard ball should be the size of one serving of oil one die should be the size of one serving of chopped raw fruit a baseball or woman's fist should be the size of a hamburger patty a mayonnaise jar lid should be the size of one serving of beans a billiard ball should be the size of one serving of mashed potatoes half an apple should be the size of one serving of lasagna two hockey pucks should be the size of Snack & Dessert Foods one serving of cheese six dice should be the size of one serving of pretzels or chips a tennis ball should be the size of one serving of peanut butter a ping-pong ball should be the size of one serving of nuts or dried fruit a golf ball should be the size of one serving of ice cream a tennis ball should be the size of Sources: Huffington Post, "The New (Ab)Normal: Portion Sizes Today vs. In the 1950s (Infographic)," www.huffingtonpost.com, May 23, 2012 Tanya Mancini, "Portion Size," www.thatsfit.com, Dec. 3, 2009 Men's Health Editors, "12 Easy Ways to Estimate Serving Sizes," www.menshealth.com (accessed Feb. 13, 2013) E ProCon.org Nicole Nichols, "The Portion Distortion Guide," www.sparkpeople.com (accessed Feb. 13, 2013) US National Library of Medicine, US Department of Health and Human Services, and National Institutes of Health, "Portion Size," www.nlm.nih.gov, Jan. 24, 2013 Jackie Wicks, "How to Learn Portion Control..A Guide to Quickly Teach You the Basics of Portion Control," www.peertrainer.com (accessed on Feb. 28, 2013) Helen W. Wu and Roland Sturm, "What's on the Menu? A Review of the Energy and Nutritional Content of US Chain Restaurant Menus," Public Health Nutrition website, Jan. 2013 Infographic by ProCon.org available at Obesity.ProCon.org ww AMERI 000