Editorial
Front Page - Friday, August 7, 2009
Read all about it...
Pettus L. Read
Let’s eat somewhere new...like our homes
While reading during lunch one day and eating a not-so-good-for-me meal, I came upon a very interesting article on nutrition in a magazine. As I finished my “too much for a man and not hardly enough for a bear” burger and placed a super-curled fry in my mouth, the article just seemed to be calling my name. No, it was not calling out the names that describe me like, “husky boy” or “wide load,” but the information it contained did get my attention.
The article was from a Nutrition Close-Up, which is a publication of the American Egg Board. It was several months old, but so are many of the publications that end up remaining on my desk. Being a part of the media (I’m a good media, not a bad media), I received a copy in an information package back during a previous national egg month campaign.
I knew I had kept the magazine for a reason and the article I was reading was the reason that the publication had taken up space for so long on my desk. Their report was entitled “Big Portions, Big People” and dealt with today’s prevalence of obesity being in epidemic proportions here in the United States. We have increased the size of our homes, our automobiles, and now we are becoming larger in body stature because of the way we eat.
The article stated that one of the major causes for our problem of being too big for our britches is the colossal portion of food we eat away from home. They say it continues to be a problem that is growing as more of us eat from a sack rather than sitting down to the dinner table back at the house. In the 1970s 34 percent of all food budgets were spent on foods eaten away from home. As we moved into the 2000s it was estimated that almost half of all food budgets was spent on food eaten away from home. With these kinds of statistics, it won’t be very long before the kitchen range will become a
thing of the past.
Just drive by any food establishment these days and notice the number of cars in the parking lot. We no longer say, “What’s for dinner?” Instead, we ask the question, “Where do you want to eat?”
That was the question asked recently following church services at my church by a group of senior citizens who eat out together each Sunday for lunch. Someone suggested that they should eat somewhere they haven’t eaten in a long time. One of the older men answered, “Great! Let’s go home.”
The study went on to say that portion sizes also began to change as people increased their number of visits to the golden French fry eateries. Portion sizes increased in the 1970s, but the rate accelerated during the ‘80s and ‘90s. The report used comparisons from USDA and FDA food label portion sizes and the numbers were significantly larger from year to year. Compared to the USDA’s standard portion size, some cookie products measured in the study were 700 percent larger. Now that is one big cookie and I probably ate a few of those in the study.
Proportions of steaks were 224 percent over the recommended amount, with cooked pastas at 480 percent and muffins at 333 percent. It seems the researchers even found that recipes in old cookbook editions had been changed in new editions to yield less servings, indicating larger portions.
Ever wonder why we are asked to increase the size of our orders now a days? These same researchers discovered that the main reason is that the food chains “can retain and expand market share” as profits for most food items rose when manufacturers increased product size. This also caused us to think we also were getting a real bargain because of the size of those huge cups. It also means all that extra food has extra calories, which makes our waistlines “supersize” as well.
Society has accepted and expects large portions as the standard. Ever wonder why only a few years ago our thirst could be satisfied with an eight-ounce cold drink, where today it takes at least 32 ounces to take care of a parched mouth? The report also used the example of larger cup holders in newer cars as society’s acceptance to large portions.
The reported results from the study did show that large food portions are one cause for our obesity problems. The article did go on to say there are multi-factorial problems, but the amount we eat is a major
factor.
So, the next time your waiter brings you a plate that could feed the entire UT football team, eat what takes care of your appetite and ask for a take-home box for what is left. Those new trousers will be glad
you did.
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