newjerseynewsroom.com

BY KEN BRANSON

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

The proposal by Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City to ban the sale of soft drinks above a certain size has focused attention on what Americans eat, and how much they eat at a sitting.

Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, professor of nutritional science in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers, points out that portion size, at home and in restaurants, has grown considerably in recent years, and so have our waistlines and our risk of heart disease, diabetes and certain kinds of cancer.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7 percent) and approximately 17 percent (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese. Also according to the CDC, the obesity rate for children in New Jersey is the second highest in the nation, at 17.9 percent. Paying attention to the size of our portions can help us arrest that trend, she believes.

Rutgers Today: When it comes to eating and drinking, does portion size matter? Why?

Byrd-Bredbenner: Portion size matters. Most people realize that calories increase as the portion size grows. But, what they may not realize is that the amount they are eating is often much larger than what used to be considered a single serving. They perceive large portions as appropriate amounts to eat on a single-eating occasion. Portion distortion may be a primary contributor to America’s expanding waistline.

RT: Is there any correlation between the size of portions served in restaurants and the size of portions people serve at home?

Byrd-Bredbenner: It would seem so, since portion sizes of virtually all restaurants and single-serving packaged foods have grown, and portion sizes at home have grown right along with them over the last 30 years. Bagels and muffins are twice as large as they were; french fry portions have gotten much bigger and beverages four or more times larger than they were by some estimates. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that during that time period, the total calories Americans consume have increased by about 200 to 300 per day. Constant exposure to these outsized portions may cause consumers to view them as normal or typical.

RT: Mayor Michael Bloomberg has recently proposed to ban the sale of soft drinks above a certain size from restaurants, movie theaters and similar venues. Should he succeed, what effect will the measure have on the health of New Yorkers?

Byrd-Bredbenner: The mayor is right about soft drinks, but I want people to think about all the food they eat and how they eat it. Making people aware of how much they are eating and drinking would be very helpful, and that’s a matter for education rather than legislation. If people were served smaller portions in restaurants, they could adjust their idea of what a healthy portion is and this would be reflected eventually in the portions served at home. At the very least, however, the mayor’s proposal will make people more aware of the amount they are consuming, and that can only help.

RT: What practical advice can you offer to people who would like to eat and drink smaller portions?

Byrd-Bredbenner: They can educate themselves about what portion sizes are nutritionally appropriate. Many packages of food look like single servings, but are really multiple servings. Read the “nutrition facts” labels on food package, and check out the United States Department of Agriculture website for recommended daily calorie intake. To know the true calorie content of a food, multiply the number of servings in the package by the calories in one serving. To estimate portion sizes for foods that don’t come in packages, use common objects to help approximate the amounts they are eating. For example, two tablespoons is the serving size for peanut butter or salad dressing, and that’s about the size of a golf ball. Look for bagels, fruit and muffins that are about the size of a tennis ball. And for meat, fish and poultry, think about a deck of cards – about three ounces. You likely won’t find healthy portions in restaurants - so think about sharing a meal with a friend or take home half of it to eat later.