A - Z Blogging Challenge: The Up-sizing of America

We all know that Americans have been eating larger portions for a long time.  This is due in part to the super-sizing of meals.  They would always ask "would you like to super-size that?" whenever you ordered at a certain fast food restaurant.

The last 20 years has seen the doubling or tripling of portion sizes in America.  It might not have been as bad if that had just stayed in restaurants, but the portions sizes in our homes went up and we got used to the portions in restaurants.  The plates that are used at home have increased in size along with portions.  So filling your plate now includes many more calories than it did for our parents and grandparents.

This increasing of portion sizes has created an obesity problem in adults and children.  

One of the worst offenders of up-sizing is soda.  So many places offer to give you a large drink for the same price as a small.  Bargain focused Americans will usually go for the larger size and then they will take free refills.  You need to get your money's worth.  

In traveling to Europe the last couple of years I found that sodas were served in much smaller glasses and there were no free refills.  The students were astounded that they didn't get their free refills. 

Many of the chain restaurants offer us such great deals now.  You can get two entrees, an appetizer and a dessert for one low price.  Many people would not have ordered an appetizer or a dessert, but how can you pass up such a great bargain.  In some cases, you can get a single meal with an appetizer and dessert for one price, so you don't even have to share your appetizer and dessert.

So, you go to a restaurant and get your meal, your appetizer, your dessert and then top it off with two or three glasses of soda.  Do you ever stop to consider just how many meals that would have fed your grandparents.  

A portion of food should be no larger than your fist.  Think about the size of a portion in most restaurants.  For it to be the size of your fist you would need to have hands the size of Shaq!

Many people could just reduce their portions sizes and they would lose weight.  

What would it take to down-size our American meals?  Is it too late since even younger children have already grown accustomed to the huge portion sizes and feel like that is the norm?