Portion Distortion

Our National Plate• Plate sizes have actually increased • Portion sizes have also increased, both in

restaurants and at supermarkets

What’s Our Food Environment?

• At the supermarket - food costs go down with increased size

• Costs are actually higher with smaller portions

• At restaurants - buffets offer lots of food at modest prices

• Look at some of the changes in some common food portions!!

Bagel

20 years ago

3-inch diameter

140 calories

350 calories

Source: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

Today

Cheeseburger

20 years ago Today

333 Calories 590 Calories

Source: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

20 years ago Today

Spaghetti and Meatballs

1 cup spaghetti with sauce and 3 small meatballs

500 calories

1,025 calories

Source: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

Today20 years ago

French Fries

2.4 ounces 210 calories

610 calories

Source: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

320 calories

20 years ago Today

820 calories

Turkey Sandwich

Source: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

Portion DistortionWe tend to eat what is in front of us!

Pick Your Portions• 1 serving meat - size of your palm (woman)

or the size of a deck of cards• 1 serving fruit - size of a tennis ball• 1 serving vegetables - one ice cream scoop• baked potato - size of a bar of soap• 1 cup pasta - size of your fist• ½ cup rice - size of a cupcake wrapper• ½ bagel, biscuit - size of 6 ounce can of tuna• 1 muffin - size of a standard light bulb • 1 teaspoon - size of a quarter, thumb tip• 2 tablespoons - size of 2 tea bags

1,420 calories 107 grams of fat

Monster Burger

How Do Your Portions Measure Up?

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Janet Tietyen, Ph.D., R.D., L.D.Extension Specialist for Food and NutritionAssociate ProfessorDepartment of Nutrition and Food ScienceSchool of Human Environmental Sciences

May 2008

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