Why are US meal portions so big??

Hauntinglyfit

It's a conspiracy by Big Pharm. They are in cahoots with the restaurant industry (and in effect, bit ag) to make us ever fatter, ensuring a continuous market for their products. Do we really believe that with all of the advancement in pharmaceuticals that there is no cure for obesity? It's not in their best interests to have a healthy public.

Here is a really good article:
http://bigthink.com/in-their-own-words/the-obesity-conspiracy

otterluv, you are awesome. love your bingo wings, X X X

Well, aren't you a little.. uhm.. joy to be around.

Myhaloslipped

The huge portions in many restaurants are ridonculous (and I VERY rarely use that word because it's so stupid)! Since I will end up paying the full price even if I ask them to only bring me some of it, I usually give my leftovers to a homeless person.

MB_Positif

Because she is one of my friends on here and was entirely unnecessary for you to talk trash about her picture because she posted a link to an article you disagreed with. How old are you, 13?

Dear MB

Actually I am on the same page with otterluv as regards the article. Again, if she is not offended why do you take offence on behalf of others,

Ummmm, I was full o'crap when I posted that. It was really just the most ridiculous thing that I could come up with, I didn't actually expect to be taken seriously.

Cadori

Dear Sparks (hey, this addressing people formally instead of quoting them is super fun!),

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and ask a genuine question. Do you know what bingo wings are? Do you think this is a compliment? Hypothetically, if I quoted...oh I don't know...someone...and said "You're awesome, love the double chin!" how is that NOT offensive?

PikaKnight

sparks787, you are awesome. love your profile pic. surely your body is perfect. come back and make snide remarks when you are ready to show yourself, X X X

Don't you love it when you get these charming newbs (they are usually newbs as they don't last long) making ridiculous and catty comments about someone, and yet do not show pics of themselves!

dont know about the newb thing. something smells...

You could be right...I should clarify - posters with accounts that do not have much longevity.

*nod nods*

ETA: Off thread topic but on topic in regards to Otter - It takes a lot of courage for people to show their progress and you'll find no matter who gets offended or not, when it happens, it's pointed out and vehemently disagreed with.

Taking digs at them on the forums isn't just a show of disrespect and telling of the sort of person you may be, but is against the CG and typically frowned upon by most, regardless of where they stand in a thread (paleo, iifym, clean, dirty, strength, cardio, etc).

JustAnotherGirlSuzanne

Yep, and the sugar is higher too in packaged foods. It's too bad.

I'm from Canada.

socajam

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.

Interesting, thanks.

Sarauk2sf

Actually I am on the same page with otterluv as regards the article. Again, if she is not offended why do you take offence on behalf of others,

I'm pretty sure that she was mocking you with that article. Hence the "missed the point" gif.

Maybe this one would be clearer?

midwestmixtape

I dunno. I lived in rural Liberia, West Africa, and they will serve you HUGE portions of rice, I could never eat it all personally. I think restaurants in general give big portions because 6 bucks goes a long ways, they make a lot of money, and why not make you *think* you are getting a lot of bang for your buck? A 10 dollar plate at Chili's / Applebee's only costs them a small fraction of that in food costs, so they give you a lot, it really doesn't affect them too much.

Mr_Knight

I've just returned from a holiday in California and was amazed at the portion sizes on all the meals I had when eating in restaurants.

It's to make up for the calorie labels they put on food in grocery stores. So far this week I've seen the nutritional content of a package of hot dogs expressed in "1/3 of a hot dog" serving size and hamburgers buns expressed in "2/5 of a bun" serving size.

whierd

I've just returned from a holiday in California and was amazed at the portion sizes on all the meals I had when eating in restaurants.

It's to make up for the calorie labels they put on food in grocery stores. So far this week I've seen the nutritional content of a package of hot dogs expressed in "1/3 of a hot dog" serving size and hamburgers buns expressed in "2/5 of a bun" serving size.

What brands expressed serving sizes in those ludicrous servings?

meeper123

Actually I am on the same page with otterluv as regards the article. Again, if she is not offended why do you take offence on behalf of others,

I'm pretty sure that she was mocking you with that article. Hence the "missed the point" gif.

Maybe this one would be clearer?

rolf I love that

PikaKnight

I've just returned from a holiday in California and was amazed at the portion sizes on all the meals I had when eating in restaurants.

It's to make up for the calorie labels they put on food in grocery stores. So far this week I've seen the nutritional content of a package of hot dogs expressed in "1/3 of a hot dog" serving size and hamburgers buns expressed in "2/5 of a bun" serving size.

What brands expressed serving sizes in those ludicrous servings?

I've never seen this either.

running_free_1984

I've been to America several times, quite a few different places. On the whole i found portion sizes generous. But not everywhere, it depends where you are and the place you eat at. Such was my experience anyway.

Funny that when in NYC in an Italian restaurant, i felt cheated when i received a normal sized portion. But then for lunch the next day i attempted to eat the biggest cheesesteak I've ever seen. Damn it was good though!

whierd

I've just returned from a holiday in California and was amazed at the portion sizes on all the meals I had when eating in restaurants.

It's to make up for the calorie labels they put on food in grocery stores. So far this week I've seen the nutritional content of a package of hot dogs expressed in "1/3 of a hot dog" serving size and hamburgers buns expressed in "2/5 of a bun" serving size.

What brands expressed serving sizes in those ludicrous servings?

I've never seen this either.

I am calling shenanigans until the brands are named.

heatherloveslifting

I have also lived in both the UK and the USA and feel qualified to comment. I do remember some enormous serving sizes for beer, fish and chips, and chocolate fudge cake in Cambridge. No wonder you're all SO much leaner than we are.

ItsCasey

Gee, I think I'll go on vacation to Europe, expect everything to be exactly the same as it is in the US, and then get on the Internet and act surprised when that turns out not to be the case.

meeper123

I don't think anyone can argue the food is good here Food from all over the world I for one like it

reddaddie

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.

That is a good point, oftentimes the more you pay, the less you get of a higher quality food. And then there are all you can eat buffets who charge $10/head for lower quality food in massive quantities.

i'll bet a Big Mac in the UK is exactly the same size as a Big Mac in the USA, but of course that'll just be dismissed as the exception that proves the rule... :facepalm:

Big Mac is not food your point is moot

running_free_1984

Just been watching man vs food. I want to experience some of those portions! Drooollll