Food Servings! What a joke!

I think this is especially true for processed junk foods. I used to have a lot of hamburger helper before I cleaned up my diet. According to most boxes of this, there are anywhere from 5-8 servings per box (depending on the flavor, oddly enough). I used to cook it fo me and my boyfriend at the time, and it was done like that. Cause the box only filled 2 small plates...

I agree though, it must be the companies trying to look good on their nutrition info for regulations or even for dieters. I love how Pringles or other chips say a serving size is like 6 chips. On what planet does 6 chips fill you up as a snack?

I particularly hate single purchase chocolate (etc.) bars that have more than 1 serving to the bar - AS IF I am only going to eat half of it!

Totally agree with you I am surprise by them. I think they should re-do the whole food thing and make it better for us.

I think you're right, if they recommend a small serving size, then they can fool you into thinking it's a healthier choice because it's less calories/fat/sodium etc per serve.

I bought a prepackaged salad on the weekend - which filled a container about the size of a large cereal bowl. It was just chopped up veggies like carrot, capsicum, cherry tomatoes etc with no dressing. I would have guessed that it would be a BIG salad for one or a reasonable side salad for 2 (or maybe 3). But, according to the pack, there were 6 servings - completely nuts!

The other problem is that serving sizes in restaurants are so completely over the top in terms of being huge (especially in the US, from what I hear, but also in some places here in Australia too) that we have no idea what a regular portion should be anymore.

I know there are some good guides out there, I've seen links to some of them on the forums here, they might be a good reference.

Sometimes it depends on the food really - I have the 30g portion of my sultana bran with 80ml of soya milk every morning and I'm okay till lunch but thats not the same with all products!

Serving Sizes in the US are extremely out of control when you go to a resteraunt. The Cheesecake Factory chain resteraunt here in the states has a weight management chicken and rice dish that is tasty and lower than most of their other options, but it is served to you in a HUGE bowl with 3 chicken breasts and probably about 10 cups of brown rice.

Keep in mind cereal is supposed to be PART of a balance breakfast. That means some fruit or juice, some protein (ie sausage, etc), it's not supposed to be the only calorie source to begin the day.

I was looking at the different varieties of Special-K in the supermarket yesterday. Depending on the type (berries, original, chocolate, fruit and yogurt, etc.), the serving size was either 1 cup, 3/4 cup, or 2/3 cup. It looks like they're basing the serving size on the number of calories instead of quantity.

Every food company, at least here in the US, has to abide by the laws and serving sizes laid out by the USDA. Each particular food group has it's own standard serving size. It used to be that the food companies could "trick" you into buying their product by listing an unrealistic portion size in order to keep the calorie count on the label low. Now, however, they must abide by the label laws laid out by the USDA. I agree with the person who said that cereal is only a part of a balanced breakfast. If the portion seems small to you, it probably is. Add a piece of fruit, and a healthy protein. Or, if your in a rush, just do two servings, and log the calories accordingly Here is a link to a great video from my local gym. In the beginning of the video they discuss food labels, and label laws. I thought it was interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eExaQpyHPY

I hate this too! Yesterday, since I was working really hard on meeting my calories, I only had 1/2 of a Luna bar. I put the other half back in the cabinet. This morning my boyfriend saw it and was like, "WHAT is this?!?!?!?" I told him it's my new lifestyle! Hah!

I have started noticing some foods that have a label on the front that has the 'true' nutritional values. I can't find any articles right now (not enough coffee in my system yet) but I remember that health advocates want the fat and calories more prominent, and in bigger fonts and brighter colors, but food manufacturers DON'T want this clear labeling.

At least here in California fast food companies have to post their nutritional info right on the menu. It's definitely helped my boyfriend not choose the carnitas California-style burrito at El Pollo Loco anymore. (It's a pork burrito with french fries and guacamole and cheese inside! 1100 calories!!!))

Oh, and this reminds me of a guy at a coffee shop who told me that half-and-half cream is way better than 2% milk. He showed me the container that said H&H has 40 calories and 2% has 90. He didn't see that the H&H was 1 tablespoon and the 2% was 8 ounces! It's people like this that really need the clearer labeling.

I saw one that blew my mind. Product advertised as LOW SODIUM. Less than 35mg per 8oz.
Serving Size: 12oz (50mg)
WTH!

I'm pretty sure serving sizes are like that so you can eat a balanced diet. Say eat cereal with skim milk with some fruit salad and coffee for breakfast. Or Hamburger helper with squash and asparagus for dinner. Their not meant to be the ONLY thing you eat.

Keep in mind cereal is supposed to be PART of a balance breakfast. That means some fruit or juice, some protein (ie sausage, etc), it's not supposed to be the only calorie source to begin the day.

This is exactly what I was thinking! All of these pre-packaged foods are meant to be part of a meal, not the whole meal. That's why they're usually so small.