What is a Serving?

There is good evidence that over the past 50 years, portions in many restaurants and stores have super-sized, growing with our expanding waistlines. And—disturbingly—many people have just got used to eating larger portions.

Not realizing how calories mount up? Most fast food is very dense in calories so you need to eat only a little for a huge caloric intake. These energy-dense foods can fool people into taking in more calories than they need. Similar foods, cooked at home, are far less energy-dense. And some people also think that eating certain types of food while avoiding others is more central to their weight-control efforts than eating less food. They’re wrong—for weight control, it’s total calories that count.

We Eat Whatever Is Put In Front Of Us

In the past we were taught to eat everything on the plate, whether we were hungry or not. When the portions we were told to finish were small, there was no problem, but, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, in the last 20 years, fast-food chain burgers jumped from 172 g to 204 g and soft drinks nearly doubled in size, adding almost 50 calories.

We Think More Food Is A Better Bargain

Getting more for your money isn’t good for your waistline or your health. People think they are getting a bargain when they get more food for just a few pennies more. What isn’t a bargain are the extra calories and fat that come with these "added value" meals.

The World Cancer Research Fund says that the food and drink industry is contributing to obesity by offering consumers ever-larger portion sizes. There is a call for the industry to make it easier to make healthy choices by not promoting "super-sized" portions.

Health Canada began a new labelling program in 2003. It obliges companies to include a Nutritional Facts table on food products, listing the number of calories and 13 ingredients deemed important by health professionals, scientists and consumers. According to the health experts, particular attention should be paid to the saturated fat and trans fat content.

Most weight-loss success stories are the result of cutting portion sizes. It’s a simple fact: if you eat less, you’ll lose excess weight.