Portion Distortion
Liz Monte over at Divine Caroline has written an eye-opening article on Portion Distortion. "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."
Some examples:
A Bagel
Popcorn
A Burger
Scary stuff. No wonder I can't fit into my jeans anymore.
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."
Some examples:
A Bagel
Popcorn
A Burger
Scary stuff. No wonder I can't fit into my jeans anymore.
posted by debbie millman at 5/28/2008 02:07:00 PM
5 Comments:
I agree, this is a bizarre phenomenon. I would like to hear the economic arguments as to why this has happened. Something to do with the cost of ingredients per the cost of shipping, perhaps. Either that or our obsession with "value for money" and increased popularity of cupholders in cars. (new minivans have at least 8)
I wrote a post a few weeks ago that touched on this issue:
http://www.slantsixcreative.com/2008/02/17/the-way-we-were/
A "King Size" soda in the fifties was ten ounces. And it had sugar, not high fructose corn syrup.
I'd be willing to bet that people would respond positively if companies started marketing smaller sizes with more natural ingredients. Not to replace the larger sizes, but just as an alternative.
It's kind of weird that we don't even have the option.
Those figures (percentage of overweight or obese) is alarming.
http://social-network-web-design.blogspot.com
and what about clothes sizing for women? who the hell is a double-zero? why is there such a thing as XXXS? It is all such a mind-f*xck.
it's definitely bad, but i've found it's way worse back home in texas and in oklahoma than it is up in ny. when i was down there a couple of weeks ago, we were out at a restaurant and i ordered these chicken tender things and they actually had the word "little" in the title. they brought me this freakin huge plate of chicken tenders. there were at least 20. and i giant cereal bowl of macaroni and cheese. i just started laughing. it would have been more than enough for three people! plus, you can get 1/2 gallon drinks in the drive thru.
smalls are mediums.
mediums are larges.
larges are extra-larges.
and i don't have proof, but i'm almost positive that clothing sizes have been changed so that we don't feel so bad.
mary: those XXXS people NEED the extra food. they also should be shopping in the kids department because you know it's cheaper.
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