Eating Out = Eating More. I am currently in school for Holistic Nutrition and we discussed how eating out means eating more with Nutritionist and Dietitian Bari Mandelbaum. She showed us slides on how the U.S. has grown in portion size from 1955 until more recently. It is always interesting to me that companies equate added value with bigger portions and combo meals, as if they are adding value to our lives by doing us a favor. The catch: we buy it. Hook, line and sinker.
In 2002 21% of Americans total calories came from beverages. In 1984, the average Coca Cola size was 6.5 oz., 79 calories and 4 tsp. of sugar. In 2002, it increased to 20 oz., 250 calories and 16 tsp. of sugar. In the same year, 2002, a consumer can purchase a Double Gulp from 7-Eleven, which is 64 oz. of Coca Cola, 600 calories and 39 tsp. of sugar, which is over 3/4 ths. of a cup. Yikes!
So, what does this all mean for us? You tell me… I’ll tell you one thing, though, to heck if I am going to let industry ‘standards’ for portion size determine how much I eat. If you go out to a restaurant and your plate is still half full and you are full, DO NOT feel guilty for not cleaning your plate. Take that old school thinking and throw it out the window. It just does not apply anymore. In fact, feel proud that you didn’t buy into the industry lie of American portion size and instead, you listened to your own body because at the end of the day that is all that matters.
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