Why are US meal portions so big??

fuzzieme

It was all the meals. Not one, or from one place

whierd

Cooking at home is always your cheapest and best option.

Wrong.

Oh, sure, I understand what you're *trying* to say with this comment, but it's still wrong as is.

OK, I'm only an actuary so maybe these concepts are too complicated for me. Let's assume a restaurant can buy equivalent ingredients 10% cheaper. Even if they added no additional costs and charged only for ingredients, I'd have to pay a tip on top of that so it would cost just about what I pay at home. Except that restaurants pay rent, taxes, advertising, wages, utilities, and some profit for the owner. All of that is added into the cost of the food. Unless you're comparing the 80%-lean (that means 20% fat) burger from the shins of the cow on a crappy refined white-flour bun from McDonald's Dollar Menu with the one Iowa-cut pork chop that feeds both DH and me, I don't know how it can ever be cheaper to eat at a restaurant.

The issue was with using the absolute "always" and "best" being arbitrary.

jofjltncb6

Cooking at home is always your cheapest and best option.

Wrong.

Oh, sure, I understand what you're *trying* to say with this comment, but it's still wrong as is.

OK, I'm only an actuary so maybe these concepts are too complicated for me. Let's assume a restaurant can buy equivalent ingredients 10% cheaper. Even if they added no additional costs and charged only for ingredients, I'd have to pay a tip on top of that so it would cost just about what I pay at home. Except that restaurants pay rent, taxes, advertising, wages, utilities, and some profit for the owner. All of that is added into the cost of the food. Unless you're comparing the 80%-lean (that means 20% fat) burger from the shins of the cow on a crappy refined white-flour bun from McDonald's Dollar Menu with the one Iowa-cut pork chop that feeds both DH and me, I don't know how it can ever be cheaper to eat at a restaurant.

Retail grocers also pay rent, taxes, advertising, wages, and utilities and hope for some profit from the owner. Only restaurants don't buy from retail grocers. And if you're buying that magic pork chop from a place like Whole Foods then you are paying a hefty premium. But go on with comparing the magic pork chop to McDonalds. Perhaps they don't teach cost accounting in actuary school?

^this...

...and this:

The issue was with using the absolute "always" and "best" being arbitrary.

...and further, she didn't specify identical meals.

NonnyMary

I went to Olive Garden today and I budged everything. I looked at the low calorie menu and nothing appealed to me, what i really wanted was a plate of spaghetti and sausage and a salad.

Well the waiter referred me to the all you can eat menu and i said no thanks im watching portion control. More food for your money is not necessary the best idea for me.

so when this plate of spaghetti and 3 sausages came ($13.95 for all that) it was too much food.. I was starving so i thought i'd eat half.

All i could eat was 1/3. it fit my MFP numbers (except sodeium went a bit high).. but I was able to happily enjoy my large plate of food, how in the heck would i have eaten all you can eat salad???

so thats what I do to combat a lot of food today. i got what i wanted, but i was able to budget it. It was brave to eat at a place like Olive Garden, i love the food there really...

but wow looking at that plate of food was HUGE!!!!!

reddaddie

one of the major factors in the "poor are heaver" phenomenon is cultural many folk that are brought up in a one parent house are not taught about nutrition or how to cook a healthy meal.
The home cooked meal is cheaper statement is true the food budget of a same sized household that eats 90% of meals at home will be lower than the one that eats 60% out. I have lived that dynamic.
in my house we like "back to healthy living" that means that we will be eating better meals.

runzalot81

Leftovers!

wannabpiper

Also of note are what we've done to the produce grown today v. what was grown years ago. For example, look at the apples and strawberries. They're HUGE now compared to their ancestors.

BrainyBurro

Also of note are what we've done to the produce grown today v. what was grown years ago. For example, look at the apples and strawberries. They're HUGE now compared to their ancestors.

Mother Nature is making us fat!

tlou5

nationalistic thread is nationalistic.

i know it's popular in Europe to take potshots at the USA whenever and wherever possible, but just because you ate one meal in one restaurant and got a dumb explanation from one friend, does not mean that such an assertion (as found in your thread title) is universally true.

go to an expensive foo-foo restaurant in NYC and you'll find much smaller (and more expensive portions).

go to a pub in rural England and you'll find large portion sizes.

there is no government agency in either country that enforces a mandatory minimum portion size for restaurants. every restaurant and chef is different and has different standards.

Thank you for saying that!

TMLPatrick

Yay, confirmation bias!

Mr_Knight

...I don't know how it can ever be cheaper to eat at a restaurant.

Let's look at it in the limit: the $1 McDouble.

33g protein from beef
19g fat, mostly from beef
33g carbs, mostly from the bun

4oz of 80/20 ground beef will be just about right for the protein/fat. Note that's a cut above the "beef in a bag" crap they sell in tubes at Walmart. Sells for about $3/lb around here, sometimes cheaper, sometimes more. 4oz would be $0.75.

Cheapest buns from the supermarket bakery that I've noticed are about $1.50 for half a dozen, or $0.25/per.

That's a $1. Haven't included fuel costs to go to the store and back, or electricity/gas costs for doing the actual cooking.

I'd do an analysis on a $6 Papa Murphy's "fave" or a $5 Hot n Ready from Little Caesar, but I'm not sufficiently motivated.

whierd

...I don't know how it can ever be cheaper to eat at a restaurant.

Let's look at it in the limit: the $1 McDouble.

33g protein from beef
19g fat, mostly from beef
33g carbs, mostly from the bun

4oz of 80/20 ground beef will be just about right for the protein/fat. Note that's a cut above the "beef in a bag" crap they sell in tubes at Walmart. Sells for about $3/lb around here, sometimes cheaper, sometimes more. 4oz would be $0.75.

Cheapest buns from the supermarket bakery that I've noticed are about $1.50 for half a dozen, or $0.25/per.

That's a $1. Haven't included fuel costs to go to the store and back, or electricity/gas costs for doing the actual cooking.

I'd do an analysis on a $6 Papa Murphy's "fave" or a $5 Hot n Ready from Little Caesar, but I'm not sufficiently motivated.

Also you have the built-in cost of having to buy the entire packages and potential waste. And the condiments.

Zumaria1

The meals are larger because the market responds to what the consumers want,

Fat people with no control of appetite drive bigger portions then ? Self fulfilling prophecy.

Pretty much.

Absolutely correct.

I've lived in the US all my life and think it's hilarious that people are defensive about this. Of course there are places out of country that also serve large portions. And, yes, there are "gourmet" or "upscale" restaurants that serve tiny, overpriced portions, even outside of NYC. But yes, Americans are fat and our portions are big.

We are, in general, very food-centered and very spoiled and the common expectation to sit down at a restaurant and eat like pigs and leave with a doggy bag on top of it.

I went to breakfast with a friend a few weeks ago at a local cafe and he ordered a seven-egg, multi-meat, multi-cheese and veggie omelet, a large portion (roughly 3 cups) of hash browns with sausage gravy, two slices of buttered toast, a side of two bacon AND two sausage, and two roughly six-inch pancakes with butter and syrup. It was $9.95. This is not the biggest "regular item" on the menu. He also had several cups of coffee with 2 creams and two sugars per cup.

I had two fried eggs, a portion of hash browns that was only a little smaller, two sausage patties, and two pieces of buttered toast, and black coffee for $7.95. It was tiny compared to his and I couldn't eat it all. I gave it my best shot, though! lol

The point is, the place is packed every day and the portion sizes are the main reason. And I could name a couple of dozen places just in my town where you can get portions like that (although their prices are good at that place), without even resorting to fast food.

As for the McDonalds example, sorry that's incorrect. The portions are not the same - they are larger in the US.

The Big Mac referenced? A sandwich served in the US is 560 calories. The UK version has 490.
A large fry in the US is 500 calories. In the UK, it's 460 calories.
The large Coca-Cola to "wash it down with" - 280 calories in the US; 225 in the UK.

McDonalds answer to why is: "Thank you for your question. McDonald’s is a global brand and each of the 122 countries we operate in all have different needs, cultures and expectations. Portion sizes may vary from each country as will menu items, interior restaurant)designs and packaging. In the UK we feel our portion size is great value for money and can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet." (from McDonalds UK site) [read: Americans would riot; just ask Ruby Tuesdays]

And the UK isn't even the most glaring contrast. Nor is Japan, but they are a well-fed people and yet when we have had several visiting student and friends stay with us from there, they've never ceased to be amazed that the sheer size of our food. Whether it's a pizza served at a local restaurant or a box of cereal taken from the cupboard, the standard response is, "Oooohh! Big!" This is often accompanied by the taking of a picture with their hand next to it for size reference. They also start out very excited to politely try a tiny bit of every snack that makes its way around a get-together, only to end up a little green around the gills and apologetically declining as they realize they never end!

France, too....famous for its buttery croissants, wines, and cheese platters. Why aren't they all fat? Because they don't eat giant portions and they don't snack constantly!

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20030822/french-secrets-to-staying-slim

http://www.centives.net/S/2012/do-french-people-snack/

http://karenlebillon.com/2012/09/17/french-kids-dont-get-fat-why/



The portions are big and getting bigger, both in restaurants and at home:

http://www.today.com/id/38959769/ns/today-today_health/t/stuffed-weighty-truth-behind-restaurant-portion-sizes/#.UjSv1tJf3Z4

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/20825325/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/any-other-name-its-still-supersize/ (fast food)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/post/a-fast-food-soda-is-six-times-bigger-than-it-was-60-years-ago/2012/05/24/gJQA23JxmU_blog.html

http://www.toledoblade.com/Food/2011/03/13/why-are-restaurant-portions-so-big.html

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-11-02/health/sc-health-1102-portions-20111102_1_food-prices-double-cheeseburger-food-costs

http://boingboing.net/2010/10/25/king-size-drinks-the.html

What I found quite interesting after a recent trip to North America is how "in your face" all the fast food chain restaurant signs are! No avoiding dunkin donuts, Macdonalds, Wendy's etc etc...HUGE signs everywhere...it made even this non-junk food loving Brit's mouth water....honestly, imho, with such huge signs the average junk-food loving person dosnt stand a chance!!

Because signs have hands and grab you and force feed you food????? I'm sorry....I don't get the connection. Small signs, big signs, North America, Britain.....we all have free will and can choose what we eat.

I am firmly outside the "we don't have a choice" camp. We do indeed have the need and the responsibility to do so. But education is part of making that choice. And let's face it: there is such a thing as conditioning and these companies don't spend millions and millions of dollars on advertising because it doesn't work. The growth in what people view as a "standard" portion size is proof of that. Re-booting our individual thinking is part of achieving success.

I agree with this.

Mr_Knight

Delete - reformulating.

Zumaria1

As an American who has traveled throughout Europe, and lived in the Caribbean for 5 years, I can say that this is very true. When you compare American restaurants and portion sizes they are MUCH larger than their counterparts in other parts of the world. A scoop of gelato ice cream in Italy is probably the equivalent of a child's scoop here in the US. I notice that also the meals take much longer, you are expected to linger, enjoy the food, not just wolf down huge portions and then have the waiter slap the check on the table before you even finish.

I remember going out to eat in various restaurants all over different countries in Europe, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, etc. They all serve smaller but good quality portions, the meals took a good 2 hours or more, you had to request the check, they don't bring it until you do.

I think it's alright to notice where we as Americans can take a lesson from other cultures, all criticism is not a bad thing if it brings a different or better light on matters.

SailorKnightWing

A scoop of gelato ice cream in Italy is probably the equivalent of a child's scoop here in the US.

While it's true that a scoop of gelato in Italy is a children's scoop here in the US, every single getlateria I visited both times I went to Italy had a two scoop minimum. They sold up to six scoop cones! All the pizza places served pizzas the size of our mediums at least as a single person's meal. Every non-breakfast meal I had there was absolutely huge, I gained a ton of weight each time. I guess it helps that everyone walks everywhere, because there wasn't a fat person to be found...

NonnyMary

it can be cheaper to go out to eat, i.e. at a fast food place. I can buy a Big mac meal and it may cost under $5.00. But if i make a meal at home, that i want more nutrition out of than what the Big Macmeal provides, it will cost me maybe $8.00. But the quality is far better than the Big Mac meal, for what nutrition that I want out of it.

If i go buy the products i want, i dont care about the price if its something i really want. In that way, what i want will cost me more but i sure will enjoy it a lot!

Or i can go to Subway and get a $5 footlong which is cheaper than anything I'd make at home... well except for my one-pot meals of meat and beans and tomatos and other goodies in it, and it will last a few days, and even though I dont count the cost, it most likely is cheaper than going out to eat (I save on the tip at least by eating in).

Sarauk2sf

...I don't know how it can ever be cheaper to eat at a restaurant.

Let's look at it in the limit: the $1 McDouble.

33g protein from beef
19g fat, mostly from beef
33g carbs, mostly from the bun

4oz of 80/20 ground beef will be just about right for the protein/fat. Note that's a cut above the "beef in a bag" crap they sell in tubes at Walmart. Sells for about $3/lb around here, sometimes cheaper, sometimes more. 4oz would be $0.75.

Cheapest buns from the supermarket bakery that I've noticed are about $1.50 for half a dozen, or $0.25/per.

That's a $1. Haven't included fuel costs to go to the store and back, or electricity/gas costs for doing the actual cooking.

I'd do an analysis on a $6 Papa Murphy's "fave" or a $5 Hot n Ready from Little Caesar, but I'm not sufficiently motivated.

Also you have the built-in cost of having to buy the entire packages and potential waste. And the condiments.

To add my specific issue - the second one you have to make as you burn the first one!

mmipanda

I'm Australian, have been to the USA numerous times and have an american stepfamily. There is a massive difference in portion sizing between our two countries. Its not something to get cranky and defensive about. Its not 'america bashing' either, so calm yer tits, everyone.


Some personal experiences of portion differences:
- I ordered a 'small' meal at McDonalds in New York and the chips & drink were the equivalent of large size for Australia.
- We went to a cinema and the smallest popcorn was still massive. Normally called 'family sized' here.
- I ordered ribs at Planet Hollywood and was presented with a half-metre long rack.
- Appetizer pasta in USA = main pasta in Australia.
- My stepfather has complained so many times about how we don't have "Big Gulp" drink dispensers at our petrol/gas stations. You have to buy individual bottles/cans of pre-packaged Coke, either 390ml or 600ml. No 1.2L big gulps here.


So cranky Americans. Chill. Embrace your giant portions. Its good value for money. That giant plate of ribs cost me about $15-20 (can't remember!) --- here in Australia you'd be looking at $30 for 1/3 size.



edit: oh my god I forgot pizza. You guys do GIANT PIZZA

neanderthin

The meals are larger because the market responds to what the consumers want,

Which has put the USA in the #1 spot for obesity.......high five.