Why are US meal portions so big??

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  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
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    Cadbury's Creme Eggs are smaller in the US.

    Random fact!

    that's clearly a conspiracy! :angry:
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    False. They contain carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. All of which does the body good. And often are garnished with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, etc.

    Dear whierd, erm, I don't want to offend you (really I don't) but if you think a big mac and fries is good food, and you also think that fat people are greedy, well, I despair.

    Dear sparks, I could care less if I offend you, but I suggest taking a basic nutrition course if you think of foods in terms as simplistic as "good" and "bad".

    Dear whierd, oh, where to start.... Do you always have to be right? All I know is that I was clinically depressed for 10 years, I ate loads of fast food and refined carbsand I gained weight rapidly. Changing diet has changed everything,energy, mood, motivation, and eating fresh veg & fruit every day is better than processed stuff

    Dear wheird AND sparks...get a room

    Fixing the bloody quotes.

    ....Carry on
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,141 Member
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    The meals are larger because the market responds to what the consumers want,

    dear whierd, I don't think i agree with you here, and i've heard enough of 'blame the fatties for their problems' i see the restaurants that are 'pushing' large portions as just like drug dealers, tempting their customers to buy more and more. Of course nobody else puts the food in our mouth, but it's not that simple and I think there is an addictive element to processed food. I speak as one who used to eat pizza, burgers etc. daily, now that I cook all my food at home I no longer crave my old diet. I still eat a lot - but it'smore nutritious. There is a british journalist called Jacques Peretti who's made some documentaries, you can find on you tube, about 'The Men Who Made us Thin' . The obesity epidemic cannot have started because people suddenly got greedier, it has to be the environment we're living in. What do you think?

    1) don't believe so-called "documentaries" on youtube
    2) the explanation is simple. food is more readily available now than ever in history. most people work at desks now instead of toiling in the fields all day. the human body is still designed for the "feast or famine" cycles that were common throughout history. now, we not only don't have famine (in the developed world), but we have leisure time and we are no longer nearly as active procuring that food nor surviving. snacking is now an option. i don't think people a 1000 years ago had the time during the day to snack. so it has nothing to do with food companies or corporations or any of that tinfoil hat nonsense... it's because life is easier and we burn less calories and food is more available and we eat more of it as a result. it's that simple.

    But obesity on a large scale is relatively new.
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
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    False. They contain carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. All of which does the body good. And often are garnished with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, etc.

    Dear whierd, erm, I don't want to offend you (really I don't) but if you think a big mac and fries is good food, and you also think that fat people are greedy, well, I despair.

    Dear sparks, I could care less if I offend you, but I suggest taking a basic nutrition course if you think of foods in terms as simplistic as "good" and "bad".

    Dear whierd, oh, where to start.... Do you always have to be right? All I know is that I was clinically depressed for 10 years, I ate loads of fast food and refined carbsand I gained weight rapidly. Changing diet has changed everything,energy, mood, motivation, and eating fresh veg & fruit every day is better than processed stuff
    Dear wheird AND sparks...get a room

    Dear everybody quoting this... i had to fix the broken quotes! :angry:
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    The meals are larger because the market responds to what the consumers want,

    dear whierd, I don't think i agree with you here, and i've heard enough of 'blame the fatties for their problems' i see the restaurants that are 'pushing' large portions as just like drug dealers, tempting their customers to buy more and more. Of course nobody else puts the food in our mouth, but it's not that simple and I think there is an addictive element to processed food. I speak as one who used to eat pizza, burgers etc. daily, now that I cook all my food at home I no longer crave my old diet. I still eat a lot - but it'smore nutritious. There is a british journalist called Jacques Peretti who's made some documentaries, you can find on you tube, about 'The Men Who Made us Thin' . The obesity epidemic cannot have started because people suddenly got greedier, it has to be the environment we're living in. What do you think?

    1) don't believe so-called "documentaries" on youtube
    2) the explanation is simple. food is more readily available now than ever in history. most people work at desks now instead of toiling in the fields all day. the human body is still designed for the "feast or famine" cycles that were common throughout history. now, we not only don't have famine (in the developed world), but we have leisure time and we are no longer nearly as active procuring that food nor surviving. snacking is now an option. i don't think people a 1000 years ago had the time during the day to snack. so it has nothing to do with food companies or corporations or any of that tinfoil hat nonsense... it's because life is easier and we burn less calories and food is more available and we eat more of it as a result. it's that simple.

    But obesity on a large scale is relatively new.

    The amount of sedentary jobs and interests in sedentary type hobbies/interests has also increased during this time so....back to #2 in the above post
  • danasings
    danasings Posts: 8,218 Member
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    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:

    Nope. US (and Canada) Big Macs have about 50 calories more than UK Big Macs, according to Mcdonald's website(s). Curiously, the UK Big Mac has twice(!) the sodium.

    Clearly, the products are somewhat customized for local preferences.

    calorie counts =/= portion sizes

    1 cup of 1% milk has fewer calories than 1 cup of 2% milk. identical portion sizes.

    let's see some data about the bun diameters of Big Macs between the USA and UK! :tongue:

    Cadbury's Creme Eggs are smaller in the US.

    Random fact!

    Well, then now I HAVE to go to the UK!!
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
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    dear everybody fixing quotes, thanks...i heart you. <eyetwitchforyou>
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
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    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:

    Nope. US (and Canada) Big Macs have about 50 calories more than UK Big Macs, according to Mcdonald's website(s). Curiously, the UK Big Mac has twice(!) the sodium.

    Clearly, the products are somewhat customized for local preferences.

    calorie counts =/= portion sizes

    1 cup of 1% milk has fewer calories than 1 cup of 2% milk. identical portion sizes.

    let's see some data about the bun diameters of Big Macs between the USA and UK! :tongue:

    Cadbury's Creme Eggs are smaller in the US.

    Random fact!

    Well, then now I HAVE to go to the UK!!

    Just buy two!
  • suziepoo1984
    suziepoo1984 Posts: 915 Member
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    Did you happen to pick up your souvenir bumper sticker while you were here? We have some really cool ones that say ,"Welcome to California...now go home."

    LOL
  • XxAngry_Pixi
    XxAngry_Pixi Posts: 236 Member
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    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:

    A big mac in Malaysia is bigger than a big mac in Australia. Jus sayin.
  • MsMimidoll
    MsMimidoll Posts: 249 Member
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    Americans are gluttons, largest houses, bathrooms, yard, pool, and yes food too. It goes hand in hand with having so much land space, we are still like spoiled children compared to other world nations.

    Yeah, we should totally apologize for having so much land and such large houses and bathrooms.
    uhm, if you work your *kitten* off to be able to afford a really large house, why shouldn't you be able to enjoy it
  • lynnerack
    lynnerack Posts: 158 Member
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    Did you happen to pick up your souvenir bumper sticker while you were here? We have some really cool ones that say ,"Welcome to California...now go home."

    LOL

    Don't worry I'm home, l'll come back when I'm hungry!:happy:
  • twinketta
    twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
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    Me n hubby went to Florida Disney in June and outside our Marriott hotel was 3 huge eating places, 2 of them looked the type of places where people sit about and look down on the other diners, so we chose the 3rd Golden Corral. You queued up paid for your drink and food around $8 or $9 can not remember.

    Then you got to pick up a plastic plate and hit the buffet.

    WOW, so much choice...I loved piling my plate with lots of veggies and even hit the cake at the end.

    After 10 days I got home and had not put on any weight... It is all about choice, nobody makes you over eat....if the portion size you get served is too large then leave what you can not eat. If you get to choose your portion size then make it suit yourself.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
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    Americans are gluttons, largest houses, bathrooms, yard, pool, and yes food too. It goes hand in hand with having so much land space, we are still like spoiled children compared to other world nations.

    Yeah, we should totally apologize for having so much land and such large houses and bathrooms.
    uhm, if you work your *kitten* off to be able to afford a really large house, why shouldn't you be able to enjoy it

    Because it isn't fair to everyone else!
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    Options
    Americans are gluttons, largest houses, bathrooms, yard, pool, and yes food too. It goes hand in hand with having so much land space, we are still like spoiled children compared to other world nations.

    Yeah, we should totally apologize for having so much land and such large houses and bathrooms.
    Never apologize for any of your big things wheird.
  • MsMimidoll
    MsMimidoll Posts: 249 Member
    Options
    Americans are gluttons, largest houses, bathrooms, yard, pool, and yes food too. It goes hand in hand with having so much land space, we are still like spoiled children compared to other world nations.

    Yeah, we should totally apologize for having so much land and such large houses and bathrooms.
    uhm, if you work your *kitten* off to be able to afford a really large house, why shouldn't you be able to enjoy it
    Because it isn't fair to everyone else!
    Then if they don't want to work hard for nice stuff, they need to suck it up
  • annakow
    annakow Posts: 385 Member
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    English are better anyway
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
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    Americans are gluttons, largest houses, bathrooms, yard, pool, and yes food too. It goes hand in hand with having so much land space, we are still like spoiled children compared to other world nations.

    Yeah, we should totally apologize for having so much land and such large houses and bathrooms.
    I will not apologize for my bathrooms, sir. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. If "needing" two bathrooms in my house as a minimum makes me a spoiled child, well, I can live with that.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
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    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.
    They came up with a vaccine for obesity but it gave everyone autism and then Big Oil and Big Tobacco bought it and hid it away on a shelf.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    Options
    Americans are gluttons, largest houses, bathrooms, yard, pool, and yes food too. It goes hand in hand with having so much land space, we are still like spoiled children compared to other world nations.

    Yeah, we should totally apologize for having so much land and such large houses and bathrooms.
    uhm, if you work your *kitten* off to be able to afford a really large house, why shouldn't you be able to enjoy it
    Because it isn't fair to everyone else!
    Then if they don't want to work hard for nice stuff, they need to suck it up

    Some people CAN'T work harder! They don't know how!! And it isn't their fault!