America is doomed

tigersword

Come on, you didn't know? If a restaurant brings you a MASSIVE portion of food, you MUST sit there and eat it all. As we all know, it's IMPOSSIBLE to bring home leftovers and have them as a separate meal (or 2) at a later time. Therefore, restaurant portions make us fat.

Well, according to science...

Portion Size Affects How Much People Consume in an Eating Occasion.
Short-term studies show that people eat more when they are confronted with larger portion sizes. The research studies described in the following cover only one or a few eating occasions in a short time frame. Research studies have yet to assess the impact of portion sizes over longer periods of time. However, the phenomenon of unknowingly eating larger amounts when presented with a large portion is an important aspect of weight management.
A study by Rolls et al.9 tested how adults responded to meals on different days of four different portion sizes of macaroni and cheese. They found that the bigger the portion, the more participants ate. Participants consumed 30% more energy (162 cal) when offered the largest portion (1000g) compared to the smallest portion (500g). They also reported similar ratings of hunger and fullness after each meal despite the intake differences. After the study, only 45% of the subjects reported noticing that there were differences in the size of the portions served.
Another study by Rolls et al.10 gave the same subjects different size sandwiches on several occasions to look at the effect on energy intake of increasing the portion size of a food served as a discrete unit (sandwich). Men and women who were offered different size (6-, 8-, 10-, and 12­ inch) sub sandwiches for lunch on four different days ate significantly more as the size of the sandwich offered became larger. A study by Diliberti et al.11 in a restaurant setting showed that when a pasta entrée was served in different portion sizes on different days, people ate larger amounts when they were given larger portions.

Taken from: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition/pdf/portion_size_research.pdf

"Affects", yeah...because lack of willpower.

If they determine that the color of the walls makes me "statistically more likely" to eat more food/spend more money/make bad decisions, that doesn't mean that I can simply blame the color of the walls.

If the litmus test for whether or not willpower is in play is whether or not external stimuli affects us, then willpower is dead.

Yeah. Not to mention, restaurants don't go out of their way to disguise portion sizes. If your argument is you eat too much at a restaurant because you don't know how much it is, that's on you. Can't say I've ever ordered a steak, or burger, or really anything from a restaurant without having an idea of what I was getting. Otherwise, how would I justify a price/benefit decision? How would I know that New York strip steak was worth $20 if I didn't know it was 12 oz and includes shrimp?

Blindy blaming portion sizes is the ultimate cop out.

IsabellaGiano

There are almost always several aspect of one problem.

Finding what cause the problem, what influence it, it is not the same as blaming all to it, and removing our responsability.
If you are in trouble, don't you expect that people that cares for you try to help you? Or you want to do all by yourself, and ,even, you ask them to make it MORE difficult for you?

Is it size the last of all the problem? No, sure.
But, would you say, then, that the core of the problem is that US people have less willpower than Europe people? I wouldn't say that!
So.

What are (some of) the differences between US and Europe?

Size, and kind of food. My suggestion is, then, that a combination of these two aspect may have a role in the fact that US people are on average more overweight than EU people.

And if it is so, wouldn't you like that t SOME is done to help US people?

tigersword

Portion sizes in the US are larger because customers want larger portion sizes. It's that simple. 30 years ago people were buying multiple 16 oz sodas at restaurants, so a restauranteur came up the (cost saving and profit boosting) idea to offer a 32 oz soda. The customer gets the same amount of soda they were before while paying less for it. It's a win for the consumer and a win for the restauranteur.

That's how it works here. If companies find they are leaving money on the table because customers are wasting food, then they will reduce portion sizes to compensate. If they find that they are losing out to competition because the consumer wants the larger portion next door, they increase portions to compensate. Business is driven by the consumer, not by the business itself. Businesses spend millions of dollars researching what consumers do, and use that to plan their products and services.

Quite simply, if Americans didn't want huge portions, restaurants wouldn't sell them.

chloematilds

I still think that portion sizes play a significant role.

take.for example.the drink.sizes. as I told.earlier, the smallest in the US is the biggest cup in many asian countries.

in some ways, the way many americans see portion sizes is a bit distorted. and there arent many family style.servings in the us. imo, family.serving way is a good way to "train" oneself about portion sizes and intuitive eating.

things are changing a bit though, smaller portions seem to be becoming more.common though.


it isnt a bad idea if the portion sizes are going to be diversified. and family style servings are actually fun.

jofjltncb6

There are almost always several aspect of one problem.

Finding what cause the problem, what influence it, it is not the same as blaming all to it, and removing our responsability.
If you are in trouble, don't you expect that people that cares for you try to help you? Or you want to do all by yourself, and ,even, you ask them to make it MORE difficult for you?

Is it size the last of all the problem? No, sure.
But, would you say, then, that the core of the problem is that US people have less willpower than Europe people? I wouldn't say that!
So.

What are (some of) the differences between US and Europe?

Size, and kind of food. My suggestion is, then, that a combination of these two aspect may have a role in the fact that US people are on average more overweight than EU people.

And if it is so, wouldn't you like that t SOME is done to help US people?

What if the difference in amount of walking is more influential than portion size? So we're spending enormous resources in addressing the portion size problem while it ultimately isn't that important?

And last I heard, Europe was catching the US despite their relatively smaller portion sizes, so again, maybe that isn't the cause?

IsabellaGiano

Portion sizes in the US are larger because customers want larger portion sizes. It's that simple. 30 years ago people were buying multiple 16 oz sodas at restaurants, so a restauranteur came up the (cost saving and profit boosting) idea to offer a 32 oz soda. The customer gets the same amount of soda they were before while paying less for it. It's a win for the consumer and a win for the restauranteur.

That's how it works here. If companies find they are leaving money on the table because customers are wasting food, then they will reduce portion sizes to compensate. If they find that they are losing out to competition because the consumer wants the larger portion next door, they increase portions to compensate. Business is driven by the consumer, not by the business itself. Businesses spend millions of dollars researching what consumers do, and use that to plan their products and services.

Quite simply, if Americans didn't want huge portions, restaurants wouldn't sell them.

"Business is driven by the consumer, not by the business itself."

Mmm... I don't agree completely... business often try -and succeed- in creating needs where there weren't...

And in this case, you say that the problem of US people is that they are somewhat more prone to gluttony? And how it comes, in your opinion?
Mmmm... doesn't sound convincing to me...
Why do you think that my daughter feels satisfied with a few chips, and one obese US kid think instead that he has to eat 2 big packets?
It's because the US kids really WANT all those chips, or because he got used to them?

IsabellaGiano

There are almost always several aspect of one problem.

Finding what cause the problem, what influence it, it is not the same as blaming all to it, and removing our responsability.
If you are in trouble, don't you expect that people that cares for you try to help you? Or you want to do all by yourself, and ,even, you ask them to make it MORE difficult for you?

Is it size the last of all the problem? No, sure.
But, would you say, then, that the core of the problem is that US people have less willpower than Europe people? I wouldn't say that!
So.

What are (some of) the differences between US and Europe?

Size, and kind of food. My suggestion is, then, that a combination of these two aspect may have a role in the fact that US people are on average more overweight than EU people.

And if it is so, wouldn't you like that t SOME is done to help US people?

What if the difference in amount of walking is more influential than portion size? So we're spending enormous resources in addressing the portion size problem while it ultimately isn't that important?

And last I heard, Europe was catching the US despite their relatively smaller portion sizes, so again, maybe that isn't the cause?

I don't have the perfect knowledge of everything, and I give just my opinion, as all of you.
I don't know which are the more striking factor in the US obesity, or in the world obesity, if size, or the lack of activity, or the color of the walls.

I think that the size and kind of food are likely to be an important factor. And if I was to do something to help reducing obesity in the US, I surely would force -yes, force- to make big portions more expensive, for one, as to discourage people buying it. Yes. And I would think of everything as to make people aware of the problem.

And I woud consider all the other likely important factor, and yes, I would do something to help people to reduce the problem, to help people to make it easier to NOT become obese.

IsabellaGiano

There are almost always several aspect of one problem.

Finding what cause the problem, what influence it, it is not the same as blaming all to it, and removing our responsability.
If you are in trouble, don't you expect that people that cares for you try to help you? Or you want to do all by yourself, and ,even, you ask them to make it MORE difficult for you?

Is it size the last of all the problem? No, sure.
But, would you say, then, that the core of the problem is that US people have less willpower than Europe people? I wouldn't say that!
So.

What are (some of) the differences between US and Europe?

Size, and kind of food. My suggestion is, then, that a combination of these two aspect may have a role in the fact that US people are on average more overweight than EU people.

And if it is so, wouldn't you like that t SOME is done to help US people?

What if the difference in amount of walking is more influential than portion size? So we're spending enormous resources in addressing the portion size problem while it ultimately isn't that important?

And last I heard, Europe was catching the US despite their relatively smaller portion sizes, so again, maybe that isn't the cause?

Europe is not even close... and then, UK are the most close. The ones with the food more similar to the US.
AND in Europe, yes, we have problems with the weight also. I never said otherwise.

Never said that size is "the" problem. "One of", yes, that is my opinion.

snowflake954

Couldn't read 11 pages of comments, sorry!

Anyway, I'm Italian, I travelled several times in the US, and your idea of a portion is much larger than the average portion of anything in Italy and Europe.

And size, sometimes, do really matter...

I remember I was incredulous observing a teenager eating in one go a plate of pasta that I would have considered enough for 3 or 4 people...

Also, your processed food tends to be higher in calories than ours. You like more intense taste, and the recipe of, e.g, coke and kitkat is different, with more sugar. i cite those because I directly compared them, and wow, I couldn't almost swallow my US kitkat, and I love sweets!
Your burghers have to be accompanied by a lot of sauces, and so on.

So, if you put together, more caloric food, in higher quantities... here you are.

Obviously, if you have high caloric food in small quantity, everyone is happy

That is so true, I moved 4 years ago to the US and was almost disgusted by all that sugar in every food. They put sugar in bread and lunch meats etc. The cakes have almost more frosting an top than the caked own size. Everything is to big, to sweet, to processed etc. but people are not FORCED to eat that crap. By the way, I love and miss the real fire wood cooked italian pizza. Not many nice italian family restaurants here where I live. I can't stand all these chains anymore.

so Italian bread is sugar free?????????

Maybe they have magical yeast in Italy that doesn't need to eat in order to make bread rise?

I think she's talking about sweet breads, which hardly exist in Italy. To an Italian these breads would be really sweet, since they are not used to them.

Deena_Bean

I would order the hell out of that pizza! I would have my usual on pizza nights - one slice of pizza and a bigazz salad

Bahahahaha! Ditto.

jennk5309

Call me silly....but I'll bet that it's so good and filling that just one piece would fill a lot of people up (with a salad or something). I had pizza last week that was LOADED with toppings (mostly vegetables though), and one piece as so delicious and satisfying that one piece and one breadstick was all I ate. And I'm pregnant! If I get pizza with skimpy toppings, I always want more than I should have.

SuperstarDJ

Couldn't read 11 pages of comments, sorry!

Anyway, I'm Italian, I travelled several times in the US, and your idea of a portion is much larger than the average portion of anything in Italy and Europe.

And size, sometimes, do really matter...

I remember I was incredulous observing a teenager eating in one go a plate of pasta that I would have considered enough for 3 or 4 people...

Also, your processed food tends to be higher in calories than ours. You like more intense taste, and the recipe of, e.g, coke and kitkat is different, with more sugar. i cite those because I directly compared them, and wow, I couldn't almost swallow my US kitkat, and I love sweets!
Your burghers have to be accompanied by a lot of sauces, and so on.

So, if you put together, more caloric food, in higher quantities... here you are.

Obviously, if you have high caloric food in small quantity, everyone is happy

That is so true, I moved 4 years ago to the US and was almost disgusted by all that sugar in every food. They put sugar in bread and lunch meats etc. The cakes have almost more frosting an top than the caked own size. Everything is to big, to sweet, to processed etc. but people are not FORCED to eat that crap. By the way, I love and miss the real fire wood cooked italian pizza. Not many nice italian family restaurants here where I live. I can't stand all these chains anymore.

so Italian bread is sugar free?????????

Maybe they have magical yeast in Italy that doesn't need to eat in order to make bread rise?

Here's the list of ingredients in white sliced bread over here in Europe (this is the cheapest, nastiest white bread you can get):


Here's the list of ingredients in one brand of wholemeal bread:


No added sugar to be seen anywhere.



Edited because I'm trying to make the first image smaller but to no success.

jofjltncb6

Maybe because the yeast eats all the sugar so they don't have to include it in the ingredients?

Meanwhile, if you're making bread at home, you probably don't want to omit the sugar from the recipe.

cebreisch

I love it when people want to blame restaurants for making them (or other people) fat!!!

Yes, the restaurants are all owned by evil opportunists with an evil plot to make everybody obese!! And they're conspiring with all the add agencies to make the food look so delicious!! And they're conspiring with the print media to put coupons in your mailbox and putting ad's on television all to force you to come into their business and force feed you delicious food that's horrible for you. It's a horrible conspiracy!!!

Unbelievable.

Going to church doesn't make me any more a Christian than parking in my garage makes me a car.

Going to restaurants to eat doesn't make people fat. It's the amount of food and the types of food people eat that makes them fat.

stealthq

Maybe because the yeast eats all the sugar so they don't have to include it in the ingredients?

Meanwhile, if you're making bread at home, you probably don't want to omit the sugar from the recipe.

Um. I do make bread at home. There is no sugar in the recipe.

I keep my sourdough starter going with water, bread flour and whole wheat flour. I made the original starter myself, so I know there was no sugar introduced. Ever.

You need sugar to give a boost to instant or active dry yeasts for proofing. If you're using live yeast cultures, you don't need to add sugar. If you did, they would probably develop too quickly. Would not surprise me to learn that several bread makers (even the ones making cheap bread) use live yeast cultures. They would be more reliable than dried.

Slacker16

I cannot bet on it.
But I can bet on the fact that US use more sugar. I mean, I compared it for several foods, I tasted it and I looked at the labels when I could.
Didn't have a look at the ingredient list for the bread though.

This I can confirm, the taste part at least.

I neither know nor care too much about dietary sugar, but the food I've had in North America generally tended to be sweeter than usual. Bread in particular is sweet, at least the mass-produced heavily bleached type.

It's probably the main reason why I don't eat burgers or hot dogs unless I'm drunk and have nothing else available, the bun is just too sweet for my taste...

Meanwhile, if you're making bread at home, you probably don't want to omit the sugar from the recipe.

Actually, I think yeast can activate from the carbs in the flour, there is no need to add sugar. I could be wrong though.

jofjltncb6

Maybe because the yeast eats all the sugar so they don't have to include it in the ingredients?

Meanwhile, if you're making bread at home, you probably don't want to omit the sugar from the recipe.

Um. I do make bread at home. There is no sugar in the recipe.

I keep my sourdough starter going with water, bread flour and whole wheat flour. I made the original starter myself, so I know there was no sugar introduced. Ever.

You need sugar to give a boost to instant or active dry yeasts for proofing. If you're using live yeast cultures, you don't need to add sugar. If you did, they would probably develop too quickly. Would not surprise me to learn that several bread makers (even the ones making cheap bread) use live yeast cultures. They would be more reliable than dried.

Eh, it was my best guess.

(And I couldn't remember how much, if any, sugar was in the recipes I used for making bread at home. I do, however, remember the pleasantly soothing sound of the grain mill...ironically, called a Whisper Mill...because it sounded like a tiny jet airplane taking off. I'm relatively certain it is at least partially responsible for my hearing loss.)

Actually, I think yeast can activate from the carbs in the flour, there is no need to add sugar. I could be wrong though.

Nah, I think you're right. See? Like so many others, even I sometimes forget that the carbs in the flour are essentially the same as the sugar one would add to the recipe.

ndj1979

I guess all European bread is carb free then ..because you know, no sugar and all ...

SuperstarDJ

I guess all European bread is carb free then ..because you know, no sugar and all ...

I don't know where to start with that comment... :huh:

snowflake954

I guess all European bread is carb free then ..because you know, no sugar and all ...

Well, I can only tell you one thing--the bread I buy in Italy "Genzano" --is awesome, and I've never tasted it's like in the US. And yes, it has carbs. Wonderful, tasty carbs!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, who cares that there's no sugar? :happy: :happy: