Portion Distortion
People today eat way more than they used to — and way more than they need
to. This means that they're constantly taking in more calories than their bodies can
burn. Unfortunately, lots of us don't realize that we're eating too much because we've
become so used to seeing (and eating!) large portions.
People who consistently overeat are likely to become overweight. They also risk
getting a number of medical problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol,
type 2 diabetes, bone and joint problems, breathing and sleeping problems, and even
depression. Later in life, people who are overweight or obese are at greater risk
for heart disease, heart failure, and stroke.
It's easy to understand why the food industry tends to serve way more food than
is necessary: Customers love to feel like they're getting the best value for their
money! But the value meal is no deal when it triples our calories and sets the stage
for health problems.
So what can you do to take back control? A good place to start is knowing about
two things that can help you eat smart: serving sizes and recommended
amounts of different foods.
Help Yourself: The Truth About Serving Sizes
Look at the label
on any product package and you'll see a nutrition information section that gives a
serving size for that food. Contrary to popular belief, this serving size is not
telling you the amount you should be eating. It's simply a guide to help
you see how many calories and nutrients — as well as how much fat, sugar, and
salt — you get from eating a specific quantity of that food.
Sometimes the serving size on a package will be a lot less than you are used to
eating. In some cases, like vegetables, it's perfectly OK (and even a good idea) to
eat more than the serving size listed on the package.
But when it comes to foods that are high in calories,
fat, or sugar, the serving size can alert you that you may be getting more than
is healthy. Let's say you buy a 3-ounce bag of cookies and you eat the whole
bag. If the label shows the serving size is 1 ounce, not only did you have 3 servings,
you also had 3 times the listed calories as well as 3 times the sugar.