Obesity and Weight Management

Don't Be Fooled by Portion Distortion!

Are you surprised by how small "standard" portions are?

You and everyone else in America, it seems. Recommended food portions, or official "serving sizes," haven't really changed over the years, but the food portions we actually eat have. Many experts believe this is why so many Americans are overweight.

For example, 20 years ago a regular bagel you might buy in a coffee shop was about three inches in diameter and had about 140 calories. Today, you're more likely to find a six-inch bagel with about 350 calories.

Similarly, instead of getting an 8-ounce cup of coffee with milk and sugar (and 45 calories), you're now more likely to get something like a 16-ounce mocha coffee, with steamed whole milk and mocha syrup -- and 350 calories.

Or, a turkey sandwich on regular bread that you might find at a diner 20 years ago had about 320 calories. Now, you're more likely to find a 10-inch turkey submarine sandwich with all the trimmings -- and a whopping 820 calories.

These are all examples from a Web site sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the National Institutes of Health. The Web site, "Portion Distortion," offers two interactive quizzes so users can test their knowledge not only on the extra calories in today's larger portion sizes, but also on how much extra physical activity it would take to burn off those calories. The site also has a nice concise, explanation of the difference between today's portion sizes and official serving sizes, and a downloadable file of a "Serving Size Card," with hints on what one serving looks like for a variety of foods.

For example, the Serving Size Card says one serving of a baked potato is about the size of your fist. One serving of fish is about the size of a checkbook. A serving of ice cream or of fruit should be about the size of a half-baseball. You can print the card off and carry it around as a handy reference.

Check it out -- it might help.

This article originally appeared in Chow Line (12/03/04), a service of Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and was adapted for use on NetWellness with permission, 2009.

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Last Reviewed: Apr 03, 2009

Julie Kennel, PhD, RD, LD, CSSD
Program Director
OSU Extension
Department of Human Nutrition
College of Education and Human Ecology
The Ohio State University