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September 16, 2004
Prairie Fare: Sizing Up Restaurant Portions
Imagine stopping at a restaurant for a burger, fries and soda pop a couple of decades ago compared with today. Here are some of the questions from a “portion distortion quiz” developed by the National Institutes of Health. 1. Twenty years ago, an order of french fries weighed 2.4 ounces and had 210 calories. Today, an average order of fries has
2. Twenty years ago, an average soda pop portion was 6.5 ounces and 85 calories. Today, an average portion of pop is
3. Twenty years ago, a hamburger had about 333 calories. Today, an average hamburger has
How did you do? The answers are all “a.” To find out how much physical activity you’ll need in order to burn off these extra calories, try the physical activity portion of the online quiz at this Web site: http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/portion Chances are you didn’t grow up eating as much restaurant-prepared food as today’s generation of kids. Americans are working longer hours. Overall, Americans are much less inclined than past generations to spend their leisure time preparing meals at home. Today, about 46 million Americans, or one-fifth of the population, eat out on a daily basis. Other researchers estimate that we spend over half of our food dollar on food eaten away from home. As the number and types of restaurants have grown, so have portion sizes. When people speak of a new restaurant, “generous portions” is often the hallmark of a “good place to eat.” Years ago, the average burger and fries meal at a fast food restaurant was about the size of today’s kid’s meal portion. Along with portion sizes, people have also expanded into larger clothing sizes over the past 20 years. Today nearly two out of three Americans are overweight or obese. Health advocates are worried about the health consequences, not the cosmetic ones, of growing out of our favorite jeans. Excess weight is linked with increased risk of many diseases, including heart disease and cancer. Nutrition researchers certainly don’t solely blame restaurants for the current worldwide epidemic of obesity, which some researchers label “globesity.” After all, we’re not eating every meal in restaurants. Besides, healthy choices can be made at restaurants, too. Overall we are less physically active than our grandparents and probably, parents. While we may be working longer hours, it’s often not physical work. Technology is doing much of the work for us these days. We don’t even have to get off the couch to change the TV station. Millions of us work at computers for hours a day, only perspiring when we’re not meeting our deadlines. What can we, as individuals, do to help maintain a healthy weight? For one thing, think about portion sizes at home and in restaurants. If the restaurant serves a lot of food, take half home for tomorrow’s lunch. Order half portions if they’re available. If the dessert tray is beckoning, share one with a friend. Many restaurants (particularly national chains) will provide nutrition information upon request. Check out your choices. Cooking at home doesn’t have to be a long, involved process. Here’s a tasty recipe that goes together in short order. Add some carrot sticks, fruit and dip, and low-fat milk to round out your menu. Top it off with a brisk walk.
### Source:
Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu |
Market Advisor: |
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North Dakota State University |
