Expanding portion sizes in the US marketplace: Implications for nutrition counseling

doi:10.1053/jada.2003.50027

Journal of the American Dietetic Association

Volume 103, Issue 2, February 2003, Pages 231-240

https://doi.org/10.1053/jada.2003.50027 Get rights and content

Abstract

The greater energy content of larger food portions could be contributing to the increasing prevalence of overweight. Prevention guidelines recommend ″sensible” portion sizes but do not define them. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines standard serving sizes for dietary guidance, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines standard servings for food labels. To use these standards in counseling, nutritionists must know the sizes of portions available in the marketplace. We determined marketplace portion sizes, identified changes in these sizes with time, and compared current marketplace portions with federal standards. Most marketplace portions exceed standard serving sizes by at least a factor of 2 and sometimes 8-fold. Portions have increased over time; those offered by fast-food chains, for example, often are 2 to 5 times larger than the original size. The discrepancy between marketplace portions and standard servings suggests the need for greater emphasis on the relationship of portion size to energy intake as a factor in weight maintenance. J Am Diet Assoc. 2003;103:231-234.

Section snippets

Methods

We examined the sizes of ready-to-eat foods from take-out places, fast-food outlets, and family-type restaurants; these account for much of the recent increase in out-of-home food consumption, rank highest in sales, and exhibit the highest sales growth [18], [19], [20]. We sampled foods from categories reported in national surveys as major contributors of energy in US diets and marketed as single portions: white bread products, cakes, alcoholic beverages, hamburgers, steak, soda, french fries,

Results

Table 1 compares the portion sizes of ready-to-eat prepared foods to federal standard serving sizes.These data indicate that with the exception of sliced white bread, the sizes of marketplace portions exceed federal standards, often by at least a factor of 2 (bagels, sodas) and sometimes by as much as 8 (cookies). Table 2 compares the sizes of selected food products when first introduced with the sizes now available.Manufacturers generally introduced foods in only one size; this size was

Discussion

Our observations have implications for nutrition counseling about healthful eating. Because marketplace portions are consistently larger than USDA standard servings, nutritionists need to explain the difference to clients. The Pyramid recommendation to consume 6 to 11 grain servings/day refers to standard serving sizes. Whereas a standard bagel is 2 oz and 2 grain servings, one marketplace bagel is nearly 6 oz, and, therefore, 6 grain servings, which is sufficient for people consuming 1,600

Applications

•
Many Americans believe that the kind of food they eat is more important than its quantity (⁽⁵¹⁾). On quantitative grounds alone, clients need to be advised about the relationship of marketplace portions to standard servings. Nutritionists counseling clients-and the public-about healthy eating and weight loss strategies should make every effort to emphasize the relationship between portion sizes, energy intake, and weight management. Even though it may seem intuitively obvious, we cannot

Acknowledgements

The authors thank professors Jeffrey Backstrand, Sally Guttmacher, and Sharon Weinberg for advice while conducting the study and Adrienne Forman for helpful suggestions.

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Individuals eat more when served more food, but little is known about how this portion size effect is moderated by meal-related characteristics, particularly the inclusion of water served as a beverage. Patterns of eating and drinking as well as consumption of water could affect satiation by modifying exposure to the sensory qualities of food. In a crossover design, 44 adults ate lunch in the laboratory once a week for 4 weeks and intake was measured. The meal was a pasta dish that was varied in portion size (400, 500, 600, or 700 g) plus 700 g of water. Meals were video-recorded to count bites and sips and the number of switches between them. Sensory-specific satiety (SSS) was evaluated as the relative decline in hedonic ratings of the pasta after consumption. Serving larger portions led to a curvilinear increase in food intake (p < 0.0001). Neither switching between bites and sips nor water intake moderated the portion size effect. Independent of portion served, across all meals switching more frequently was related to greater food consumption (5.7 ± 1.8 g more food consumed for each additional switch, p = 0.004). Greater water intake was also related to greater food intake across portions (1.1 ± 0.5 g more food consumed for each additional 10 g of water, p = 0.025), but this effect was not significant after accounting for switching (p = 0.38). The magnitude of SSS was unaffected by switching, suggesting that switching allowed greater food intake for a given hedonic decline. At a meal with a single food, intake was greater when larger portions were served and also when there was more switching between bites and sips. Switching between food and water may promote energy intake by attenuating the development of SSS.
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This study aims to examine the associations of food portion size (PS) with markers of insulin resistance (IR) and clustered of metabolic risk score in European adolescents.
A total of 495 adolescents (53.5% females) from the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) study were included. The association between PS from food groups and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index, VO2 max, and metabolic risk score was assessed by multilinear regression analysis adjusting for several confounders. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to determine the mean differences of food PS from food groups by HOMA-IR cutoff categories by using maternal education as a covariable.
Larger PS from vegetables in both gender and milk, yoghurt, and milk beverages in males were associated with higher VO2 max, while larger PS from margarines and vegetable oils were associated with lower VO2 max (p < 0.05). Males who consumed larger PS from fish and fish products; meat substitutes, nuts, and pulses; cakes, pies, and biscuits; and sugar, honey, jams, and chocolate have a higher metabolic risk score (p < 0.05). Males with lower HOMA-IR cutoff values consumed larger PS from vegetables, milk, yoghurt, and milk beverages (p < 0.05). Females with lower HOMA-IR cutoff values consumed larger PS from breakfast cereals, while those with higher HOMA-IR cutoff values consumed larger PS from butter and animal fats (p = 0.018).
The results show that larger PS from dairy products, cereals, and high energy dense foods are a significant determinant of IR and VO2 max, and larger PS from food with higher content of sugar were associated with higher metabolic risk score.
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^☆: This study was part of Dr. Young's dissertation research at New York University and was supported in part by a scholarship from the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies and a Dean's Grant for Student Research from the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University.

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Expanding portion sizes in the US marketplace: Implications for nutrition counseling☆

Abstract

Section snippets

Methods

Results

Discussion

Applications

Acknowledgements

J AM DIET ASSOC

J AM DIET ASSOC

J NUTR EDUC

J AM DIET ASSOC

J AM DIET ASSOC

AM J CLIN NUTR

J AM DIET ASSOC

APPETITE

The contribution of expanding portion sizes to the U.S. obesity epidemic

AM J PUBLIC HEALTH

CLINICAL GUIDELINES ON THE IDENTIFICATION, EVALUATION, AND TREATMENT OF OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY IN ADULTS

Prevalence and trends in obesity among US adults, 1999-2000

JAMA

Prevalence and trends in overweight among US children and adolescents, 1999-2000

JAMA

THE SURGEON GENERAL'S CALL TO ACTION TO PREVENT AND DECREASE OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY

THE SURGEON GENERAL'S CALL TO ACTION TO PREVENT AND DECREASE OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY

THE FOOD GUIDE PYRAMID

USDA'S FOOD GUIDE: BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT

FOODS COMMONLY EATEN BY INDIVIDUALS: AMOUNTS PER DAY AND PER EATING OCCASION

NUTRITION AND YOUR HEALTH: DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS

Declared serving sizes of packaged foods, 1977-86

FOOD TECHNOL

Food labeling: serving sizes

FEDERAL REGISTER

Portion sizes in dietary assessment: issues and policy implications

NUTR REV

Shares of food spending for eating reaches 47 percent

FOODREVIEW

Annual franchise report: hot prospects

RESTAURANT BUSINESS

Top 50 growth chains

RESTAURANT BUSINESS

The top 400 restaurant concepts

RESTAURANTS AND INSTITUTIONS