“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