Portion Distortion: How Much Is Too Much? :

I was working as an outpatient dietitian in a senior healthcare center. In my very first job fresh out of my dietetic internship, I met an overweight gentleman about 70 years old. His doctor had prescribed a low fat diet, due to his hypertension and high cholesterol. He was quite upset about his condition and said, "But I only eat baked chicken and baked potatoes."

I said to myself, hmmm, now what? He's easily 40 pounds overweight, but he's eating just what I would recommend. But I learned a good lesson that day. I asked him, "How much chicken?"

As it turned out, his diet was certainly healthy... for two people or more! He was eating at least half an entire chicken, plus a baked potato and a cup of peas for lunch every day. He was 5 feet 5 inches tall.

Health experts tell us the reason Americans are overweight is that they're eating too many calories and not exercising . Gee, no mystery there. Portions are giant-sized compared to 20 years ago, and people get used to larger portions. From beverages to bagels, we're eating more, often without realizing it. I took a look at the National Institutes of Health's website for portion sizes of familiar foods:

20 Years Ago
Cup of coffee with milk and sugar: Mocha coffee; steamed milk and mocha syrup, 8 ounces, 45 calories

Today
16 ounces, 350 calories

20 Years Ago
Muffin1.5 ounces, 205 calories

Today
4 ounces, 500 calories

20 Years Ago
Bagel3 inch diameter, 210 calories

Today
6 inch diameter, 350 calories

20 Years Ago
Soda 6.5 ounce bottle, 85 calories

Today
20 ounce bottle, 250 calories

The excess calories in just these four common menu items total about 1,000 more than 20 years ago. Everything is bigger, and so are we.

Food Is Plentiful (And Cheap)

Food is bigger today and cheap. The Secretary of Agriculture celebrated National Food Check-Out Day February 7, 2005, cheering the fact that Americans earn enough to purchase all their food for the year in only 37 days. According to the American Farm Bureau, even with increased standards of living the percentage of disposable personal income spent for food in the United States has declined over the last 34 years. (In 1970, Food Check-Out Day would have been February 20.)

Although Americans are buying more expensive convenience items for preparation at home, as well as more meals away from home, the total amount spent on food is dropping, because it is so cheap. The USDA says that Americans spend only 17.7 percent of their disposable income on food, 29.9 percent on shelter, and 18 percent on transportation.

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