"serving sizes" news and stories

Would you still eat six Double Stuf Oreos if you knew that you had just eaten three servings worth?

In an effort to help Americans make healthier food choices, the FDA wants serving sizes on foods like ice cream, breakfast cereals, chips and cookies to reflect how much people actually eat, the New York Times reported.

"If you put on a meaningful portion size, it would scare a lot of people," Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina, told the Times. "They would see, 'I'm going to get 300 calories from that, or 500 calories'."

The recommended daily serving size of nuts is about one-ounce, an amount that should contain approximately 160-200 calories, full of protein and other nutrients (vitamin E in almonds, manganese in hazelnuts and iron in cashews, for example). A nutty snack will also fill you up with a good balance of protein, unsaturated fats and carbs. The problem lies in getting that one-ounce size. I know that if I want to eat some nuts, I don't put them on my scale in the kitchen before I pop them into my mouth, although I do worry a bit about how many I've eaten when a big bowl is placed in front of me. An extra serving or two of nuts can add up quickly, especially if you're indulging a bit extra over the holidays. The trick is to learn what a one ounce portion looks like and nutnutrition.com, which is run by Planters, has a great interactive resource to help you do just that. The site lets you see what one-ounce of nuts looks like when scattered and in a 1/4 cup measure. After a couple of visits to the site, you'll be able to sit in front of that big nut bowl and snack with confidence.

Source