Snack portion sizes have increased

We’ve all heard a lot about, and probably noticed for ourselves, the degree to which food portion sizes have changed over the last few years; especially in convenience and fast foods. You only have to look down the shelves of the chocolate aisle in your local supermarket and instantly you can see double pack sizes of your favourite chocolate bar; Cadburys now offer ‘bar and a half’ sizes of their standard dairy milk bars. When did it become imperative that we have two bars in one go? Producers seem to rely on the fact that consumers will appreciate the ‘value for money’ they get from paying less for more chocolate, but one might beinclined to wonder how much market research was actually carried out on the public’s need to buy two bars at once; and whether people are still buying two of the new ‘duo’ bars.

Supermarkets have also been upping the sizes of their ready meals; gradually giving us more and more food, while still labelling it as a meal for one. In 2008 The Food Standards Agency released a report on trends in portion sizes in the UK, which specifically highlighted the fact that the weight of individual ready meals and white bread slices had increased since the 1990s, and that multipack and larger pack sizes are more widely available. The report noted that thin sliced bread is less common, while an extra thick slice size is now offered by many brands, and stated that the existence of premium and luxury products often mean that larger and more calorie-dense versions are consumed. In terms of ready meals, the report showed that the serving size of pasta dishes has increased consistently across all brands; most increasing by 30 to 50 percent. They also found that children’s portion sizes have now increased to equal the weight of an adult’s portion in 1990.

Worrying increases in portion size have also been found in fast food restaurants. Another report also explains that when McDonalds opened in 1955, the only hamburger on the menu weighed 1.6oz, while now customers are able to purchase an 8oz Double Quarter Pounder, which is 500% larger than the original. After government concerns were raised about the links between fast food and obesity, McDonalds withdrew the supersize option on their menu, but it is still offered by Burger King, meaning their largest portion of fries contains a total of 470 calories; nearly a quarter of the recommended daily allowance for a healthy female… for a side order. In addition to all of this, plate sizes have also increased, so we’re even piling more on at home than we used to, even though it may look in proportion.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I wasn’t aware of a significant evolutionary advancement occurring in the human race, which therefore requires us to consume 500% more food in one sitting than was necessary 50 years ago. So now you’re aware that you could be being served up far more than you realise, how do you take back control and reign in the size of your portions? The problem is that we will generally finish what we’re given, even if there could actually be two or even three servings in one portion. Larger bags marketed as a ‘sharing size’ still lead to us consuming more; proved by a study carried out by Dr Barbara Rolls, which tracked the number of crisps eaten by participants who were given different sized bags of crisps as a snack.

Portion Size Tips

● The trick is to get savvy with food labelling. Look out for the small print telling you how many servings there are in a pack, or how many people it’s meant to be for. Repackage crisps or biscuits into smaller bags so that you can always keep track of how much you’re actually eating.

● Embrace vegetarianism! No need to erase meat from your life entirely, but by placing the emphasis on the veggies on your plate, rather than the meat, you get a lot more food for your money – literally.

Vegetarianism simplifies portion control

● Check your RDAs. Guidelines for nutritional intake are released for health reasons, not simply to be overly controlling. By making sure that you understand how much of everything you’re meant to be eating – and why – you can enjoy food without worrying about the effects of over-eating or relying too heavily on calorie dense foods.

● Use smaller plates! This may make you appear a little odd the first few times you sit down and eat your dinner off something you’d normally rest your toast on in the mornings, but it really works. You’ll fulfil the ‘finish your plate’ mentality drilled into you by your Mum when you were a child, without serving yourself up a ridiculous amount of food.

● Share food. Attempt to silence that voice in your head telling you that you’d kill your best friend for the last brownie and offer to split a meal with her. You’ll often find that restaurant servings are actually enough for two people, especially for things like Indian or Chinese food; so you can go out with the girls and not feel like you weigh approximately 300 kilos afterwards.

● Watch out for that tendency to tell yourself that you can’t waste food. Stock up on plastic boxes and make room in the freezer to finish things at a later date. And don’t tell yourself that if something’s going out of date you simply have to munch it all in one go. It will either go to waste in the bin, or it’ll be a waste in your body, so don’t worry about throwing something out every once in a while.

The worrying thing about portion sizes is that they seem to be getting larger in a very sneaky way. Whilst chocolate bars and crisp packets may clearly state ‘king size’ on the front, other foods aren’t quite so blatant about it. But now you’re aware of it, you can take the steps to slim down your portions to their correct size. If you’re feeling the need for fast food, try and remember that the small option really isn’t that small at all, and in fact may have been called a medium or a large a few years ago. Keep in mind that what seems like a bargain may not really be good for you at all; value for money is only worthwhile if you’re actually healthy enough to appreciate it.