Becoming the Medium-sized Apple

New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley launched a new campaign this week to counter obesity in the city: smaller portions. Cut your portions. Cut your risk, one poster states, depicting an overweight diabetic man whose leg has been amputated. The campaign takes note of the correlation between increased serving sizes of food and increased obesity rates over the past several decades. And for once, we at ACSH agree with the health commissioner s message mostly.

If this campaign is aimed at consumers in general, it s a great idea, says ACSH s Dr. Ruth Kava. People should be reminded of what s an appropriate portion size, and they need to realize that eating smaller amounts is key to losing excess weight. However, she notes, The campaign should not require the restaurant industry to bear the brunt of responsibility here. Portion size is an issue whether people are eating at home or at a restaurant. At home, people need to learn to serve themselves less; at a restaurant, sharing a serving or taking home leftovers is always a good tactic.

ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross thinks the Department of Health s new campaign would be more effective if it didn't single out sodas and fast-food venues, which have been favorite targets of the Farley Health Department. Sweetened beverages are not the cause of the obesity problem in New York, Dr. Ross contends. The problem is a pervasive decline in exercise, and unbalanced diets. The trend in bigger portion sizes is indeed a concern. But the overwhelming majority of calories are consumed at home, and information about reduced portion size should be aimed at parents, not directed against soda and french fries. These targets are merely the easy way out for Farley; he should try to give New Yorkers more of the overall picture of this complex issue. And he adds, Reducing portion size can actually have a positive effect on people s weight, unlike many of the other ideas we ve heard.