I remember being hugely disappointed when Tim Hortons changed the size of their cookies, as I no longer had something I could purchase as a ‘small’ snack as opposed to a muffin or a donut.  Now, with the size and the price, I might as well get the donut or muffin, since the cookies are almost the same size.

My husband and I talk about this every time we go out to eat.  Always either we need to share food or there is leftover food.  Just give me smaller portions and charge me less money!  Three+ egg omelets?  Half-pound burgers with huge buns?  Americans have become used to bigger is better, and we’re paying for it.

I remember working in fast food as a teenager at Taco Time (about 25 years ago) and I think our largest soda was 20 oz. That’s a small at most places nowadays

Somehow I feel the big players have this worked out, big portion sizes feel like better value, so we pay a dollar more while it costs the company pennies more. I also feel portion control is not as large of a problem as the ingredients. Try overeat a leafy salad…

So, you know what happens when you tell people the calories in different menu items? If they’re hungry, they order the higher calorie item.  Research has shown that what was supposed to help people lower intake has had an opposite effect for part of the population.  How do you fight this??!!

The other interesting debate is over what USDA sets as a serving. 8 oz is a serving, and LOOK! only 100 calories. But we drink 24 oz and get 300. And same goes for all sorts of other foods. I grabbed a pickle out of the jar the other day and the sodium was only 210 mg — hey not so bad, I think. Oh, wait, that’s for one-third of a pickle. (Who the hell cuts a pickle into thirds?) Oops.

So, do we bump up the serving size so people see how many calories they are really consuming? (And then give justification to eating that enormous cookie because it’s called a “serving”?) Or do we stick to our guns and keep serving sizes where they are, and in doing so, “under report” the calories when people don’t see that they ate three bowls of cereal?  Or… is the concept of a serving size no longer a valuable concept if everyone just eats until they full, and should we ditch the concept and report nutrition facts per 100 grams?

I sure don’t know, but I think it’s ditch the “serving” concept.

Oh, and can we put Paula Deen in prison? I’m pretty sure intentionally transmitting a deadly disease is a felony.

So, you know what happens when you tell people the calories in different menu items? If they’re hungry, they order the higher calorie item.  Research has shown that what was supposed to help people lower intake has had an opposite effect for part of the population.  How do you fight this??!!

The other interesting debate is over what USDA sets as a serving. 8 oz is a serving, and LOOK! only 100 calories. But we drink 24 oz and get 300. And same goes for all sorts of other foods. I grabbed a pickle out of the jar the other day and the sodium was only 210 mg — hey not so bad, I think. Oh, wait, that’s for one-third of a pickle. (Who the hell cuts a pickle into thirds?) Oops.

So, do we bump up the serving size so people see how many calories they are really consuming? (And then give justification to eating that enormous cookie because it’s called a “serving”?) Or do we stick to our guns and keep serving sizes where they are, and in doing so, “under report” the calories when people don’t see that they ate three bowls of cereal?  Or… is the concept of a serving size no longer a valuable concept if everyone just eats until they full, and should we ditch the concept and report nutrition facts per 100 grams?

I sure don’t know, but I think it’s ditch the “serving” concept.

Oh, and can we put Paula Deen in prison? I’m pretty sure intentionally transmitting a deadly disease is a felony.

Looks like NYC is determined to outpace San Francisco as the nation’s most intrusive nanny state. Definitely a race to the bottom for any free society. We used to educate citizens to make intelligent decisions on their own.

How is this an example of a nanny state?  Nothing is being mandated; nothing subsidized.  They are simply giving people information, and perhaps making them think twice?  Gee, is it me or does that fall into the “educate citizens to make intelligent decisions on their own” category?

I’d have to agree…I don’t think you can compare this to San Francisco.

I think the issue of portion sizes is incredibly important…but it seems like much of the talk about healthy eating purposely avoids it.

If you have ever weighed or measured your food, it is surprising how often you underestimate(but almost never overestimate) what you are eating.

[...] pas en refusant de vendre de l’alcool est largement compensé par la vente de sodas.Source : NYC Relentless in Obesity War. This Time: Portion SizesShare Tags :Fooducate, New York, obésité Découvrez des articles sur le même sujet10 décembre [...]

Glad to say Philly has its own campaign, and is now running TV ads fighting soda: http://foodfitphilly.org/

[...] Watch out if you live in NYC… the city is still aggressively trying to fight obesity with this subway campaign. [...]

I agree Sharon!  My husband and I go out to eat to be social, not stuff our faces!  We would rather pay for smaller portions and keep our money in the bank!