"portion size" news and stories

Researchers (and brothers) Brian and Craig Wansink have examined 52 of the most famous images of the Last Supper -- where Jesus and his disciples observed a Passover seder, the last before the Crucifixion -- and found a sizable increase in portions over the past millennium, from the year 1000 to ten years ago.

Brian Wansink told the LA Times, "I think people assume that increased serving sizes, or 'portion distortion,' is a recent phenomenon. But this research indicates that it's a general trend for at least the last millennium." Wansink, who authored Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, and who has conducted many portion-size studies as director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University, brought his years of nutrition research to the study. Meanwhile, his brother Craig, a biblical scholar at Virginia Wesleyan College, brought the religious studies chops to their analysis of what they are calling "history's most famous dinner party."

When you are entertaining, you should only take out the amount of cheese you plan on using. This may seem obvious. But, many times, we forget that even though we may have a half-pound of Stilton, it may not be the best idea to serve the entire piece unless we know it will all be eaten.

We all know that portion sizes have increased over the course of the last few decades. Every so often, TV programs and newspapers run a picture of an original McDonald's hamburger next to today's Big Mac, to emphasis how much more we're eating. Today Divine Caroline ran a feature that shows a variety of foods as they used to be portioned. It's interesting to see how pizza slices have grown, as well as coffee, soda and even our plates and bowls. As I mentioned before, it probably won't be news to anyone, but it is interesting as it will get you to thinking about portion size and how much food you're putting on your dish (at least for the couple of hours after you read it).

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It's hard to tell how many calories something has just by looking at it. We already know what an ounce of nuts looks like - but what do servings of other common foods look like? Wisegeek took pictures of 200 calories portions of 71 common food items, including everything from staples like flour, cornmeal, oil and butter to muffins, ketchup, bacon, Powerbars and Tootsie Pops. They every carefully cut down the items that were more than 200 calories per piece to provide the most accurate visual example possible. Measurements are given in grams or milliliters, as well as calories. And as an additional bonus, every item was shot on the same plate, bowl or glass, so the size of each item can easily be compared to its neighboring items.

Now, calories aren't the only thing to take into consideration when planning your diet, but it is still nice to see that one glazed donut doesn't have quite as many calories as a bakery muffin or a bagel because it makes it that much easier to enjoy every once in a while.

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For years, binge-eating has been thought to be an almost entirely secretive, private habit, but some new research by Dr. Gayle Timmerman of the University of Texas at Austin's School of Nursing shows that binge eating may be more likely to occur in restaurants, especially for women. Binge eating is overeating compulsively and in a restaurant that can translate to ordering an appetizer and a dessert when you might only otherwise have been hungry enough for one main course. Women tended to take in an extra 200-300 calories and about 15 grams of fat when they ate out.

The frequency with which the study participants, as well as people in general, eat out is one of the biggest causes for concern. The participants went to a restaurant or got take out on half of all the days they were in the study and when meals out get that frequent, they are no longer "special occasions" calling for indulgence, though that is the mindset than many still have. Another problem is portion size which, when combined with restaurants' "ample delicious food cues," can cause even a disciplined eater to press on with eating when they should have stopped.

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