How much bigger are food portion sizes today than they were 20 years ago?
Over the past 20 years, portion sizes for many food items have grown considerably. Take fast food for an example. According to a 2007 paper published in the “Journal of Public Health Policy”, portion sizes offered by fast food chains are two to five times larger than when first introduced – the triple Whopper was certainly not around two decades ago, and the standard McDonalds hamburger is now 500% larger than when the chain first started selling them. “Super Gulp” soft drinks and Grande coffees have also appeared over this time, much larger than the portion sizes in these drinks offerd in the 1970s and 1980s. Interestingly, it is not only food portion sizes that have increased over time – plates, bowls and cups are now generally larger than they were 20 years ago too, and larger eating containers can influence us to serve large food portions. We are certainly eating and expecting larger servings of almost everything than we used to! Sources:
Over the past 20 years, portion sizes for many food items have grown considerably. Take fast food for an example. According to a 2007 paper published in the “Journal of Public Health Policy”, portion sizes offered by fast food chains are two to five times larger than when first introduced – the triple Whopper was certainly not around two decades ago, and the standard McDonalds hamburger is now 500% larger than when the chain first started selling them. “Super Gulp” soft drinks and Grande coffees have also appeared over this time, much larger than the portion sizes in these drinks offerd in the 1970s and 1980s. Interestingly, it is not only food portion sizes that have increased over time – plates, bowls and cups are now generally larger than they were 20 years ago too, and larger eating containers can influence us to serve large food portions. We are certainly eating and expecting larger servings of almost everything than we used to!
Portion Size, Then and Now By: Liz Monte Over the past few decades, portion sizes of everything from muffins to sandwiches have grown considerably. Unfortunately, America’s waistbands have reacted accordingly. In the 1970s, around 47 percent of Americans were overweight or obese; now 66 percent of us are. In addition, the number of just obese people has doubled, from 15 percent of our population to 30 percent. While increased sizes haven’t been the sole contributor to our obesity epidemic, large quantities of cheap food have distorted our perceptions of what a typical meal is supposed to look like. These portion comparisons, adapted from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI) Portion Distortion Quiz, give a visual representation of what sizes used to be compared to what they are today. Two Slices of Pizza Twenty years ago Today 500 calories 850 calories Those extra 350 calories, if eaten a two times a month, would put on two extra pounds a year, or forty pounds in the
The National Institute of Health put out a fun and interesting online slideshow that shows just how much food portion sizes have grown over the past 20 years. Here are some examples of how portion sizes have grown on average for a variety of foods over the past 20 years: A Cup of Coffee 20 years ago – 8 oz. and 45 calories Today – 16 oz. and 350 calories A Muffin 20 years ago – 1.5 oz and 210 calories Today – 4 oz. and 500 calories Two Slices of Pizza 20 years ago – 500 calories Today – 850 calories Chocolate Chip Cookie 20 years ago – 1.5″ diameter and 55 calories Today – 3.5″ diameter and 275 calories You can check out more examples and find out how long it takes to burn off those extra calories in the slideshow on their page.
