This week, all of the lay articles seemed to have a common theme: Watch what you eat, and you will succeed in your endevor to become a healthy individual. This is a concept that is not particularly striking and an idea we have previously discussed in class. As a recap, roughly 60% of the American public is clinically over weight, and from articles we have previously read in this class, reducing caloric intake of the general population seems capable of increasing life expectancy. This idea only seems logical for those 60% (or more) Americans.
In Snacking in the Line of Duty the author discussed the benefits of consuming small portion sizes despite the fact that many of these snacks lack any real nutritional value. It makes sense that the American public might benefit from only consuming 100 calories of chocolate rather than 250. In essence, the article states that these snacks are great for helping to portion meals. So, how much of a problem do our American portions present to our health. While on line, I looked up article that discussed the differeneces between the portion sizes in Japan and the US. At a McDonalds in the US, the Big Mac has 560 calories, and the largest drink size is a 32 oz, 310 calorie soda. In Japan, the same "Big Mac" has only 500 calories, and more surprisingly, the largest drink is only an 18 oz, 181 calorie drink. The article went on to say that in the US, an average serving of pasta at a restaurant is 480% of a recommended serving, and that an average cookie from a restaurant might be up to 700% of a recommended serving size. Wondering what that means in calorie world? Well, I went to an online calorie counter and found several values of portions sizes in popular family restaurants.
The results? Olive garden has a chicken (healthy, right?) dish that is over 1100 calories, chilie's has a salad that is almost 100o calories, and a breakfast at IHOP can cost you over 130o calories. So much for six small meals a day.
So what does this all mean? In essence this is just more proof that the epidemic of obesity in the US is largely a matter of large portion sizes. If portions were reduced, many of the maladies of obesity, inflammation included, could become a problem of the past. With reduced inflammation, the diseases that result therefrom could also be inhibited, leading to a healthier society in general. A solution? I say we keep portion sizes, and split meals for more cost effective dates. ;)
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2 comments:
I agree that cutting down serving size could help in relieving America's obesity. It's amazing how many calories are in one plate at a restaurant--and given that families eat out more often than before, that leads to poor nutrient absorption and fat deposition. For now, how about splitting dinner? When you go to dinner with someone, share a meal. It's cost- and health- effective.
Weight Watchers is a great program that teaches people to eat in normal portions. They teach you to read the labels and to be aware about portion size servings as well as dietary content.
Most people that loose weight on this diet keep it off.
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