Portion sizes have grown ... and so have our waistlines
By LYNN ZASKE
Leader Intern
With obesity being among the top causes of preventable deaths in the United States we need to question, what has changed?
According to Karen Gensmer, dietary technician for Hutchinson Area Health Care, the answer is portions sizes.
“Portion sizes are out of control,” Gensmer said. “Twenty years ago we were eating portion sizes that actually matched the recommended serving sizes. In some cases that meant that we consumed one half the potion sizes and calories of today.”
According to the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health, we have a “portion distortion” problem that has got much worse during the past 20 years.
Their Web site, http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/portion, offers a portion distortion interactive quiz that asks the participant to look at the size differences between various types of food from 20 years ago and today and guess how many more calories are in today’s portions.
For example, an average cheeseburger 20 years ago had about 333 calories and was half the size of today’s. Today our burger has 590 calories on average.
The Web site also offers the helpful information such as, it would take a 130-pound person approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes just to burn off the 257 calorie difference between the two burgers.
So why the dramatic change during the past 20 years?
Longtime professional in the restaurant industry, Marlene Hettver, has watched portion sizes double during the past 38 years while working at Country Kitchen in Hutchinson.
“Customers are smart. They expect to get what they pay for,” Hettver said. “They expect a good portion for their dollar and restaurants need to cater to that in order to make it against the competition.”
Hettver said that 30 years ago Country Kitchen’s Big Country Boy Burger had half the amount of meat it has today.
“Today it is double the size, if not more since we’ve added bacon and other ingredients,” Hettver said.
Gensmer said the best thing to do is be aware of the recommended serving sizes, and try your best to follow these as closely as possible.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture maintains there is a difference between portion sizes and serving sizes.
Its brochure, “Portion Your Platter” explains that portion sizes are simply the amount of food you choose to eat, while serving sizes are the measurement standard for providing nutritional information such as calories, cholesterol, sodium or fat.
The Department of Health and Human Services also offers a print-off people can use to help them better judge a serving size.
The USDA offers tips for being healthier when going out to eat, such as putting half of the portion in a to-go box for another meal.
“There are healthy options if you are looking for them,” Hettver said. “Today we have salads, egg substitute and the option to substitute a side of vegetables for less healthy options, if you ask.”
Gensmer warned that people need to pay particular attention to labels when shopping for groceries.
“It’s important to read labels to better gauge calories to portion sizes for each specific product,” she said.
What did you eat today?
Recommended servings per day, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture:
Food: Per day
Grains: 6 ounces
Vegetables: 2 1/2 cups
Fruits: 2 cups
Dairy: 3 cups
Meat and beans: 5 1/2 ounces
— See mypyramid.gov for more information.