Quadruple your pleasure, double your weight

A startling new graphic released by the CDC provides some concrete numbers to substantiate what most of us only vaguely acknowledge: Restaurant portions are larger than ever. In fact, they re now an average of four times larger than what passed for a serving in the 1950s. The infographic suggests that, while disfavored products like soda and French fries have become popular targets of many addressing this country s obesity epidemic, the greater number of calories consumed remains an unavoidable factor. In fact, in some groups stampede to blame single ingredients, the key factors increasing calorie intake and diminished exercise are rarely mentioned, while non-contributors such as salt are, notes ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross.

The data used for the graphic were drawn from an analysis of the nutritional content of over 30,000 meals from 245 restaurant chains across the country. Among the menu selections highlighted are burgers and fries, which have tripled in size, and soda, which is now offered in servings six times larger than it was 60 years ago. It hardly seems surprising, then, that the average weight of Americans has increased by 26 pounds since the 1950s.

Translated into financial loss, the numbers aren t small either. The CDC reports that work missed due to obesity-related problems costs employers as much as $6.4 billion annually. Furthermore, the CDC reports that over 20 percent of all health care expenditures are due to obesity-related conditions such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

The increase in restaurant portion size is no surprise, says ACSH s Dr. Ruth Kava, although seeing the actual numbers does take one aback. She points to recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics that show an average increase in food consumption of over 400 calories a day since 1970. The fact that people have increased their daily caloric intake is an undeniable factor in our nation s obesity rates, she says. If people can be aware that they re being served several times more than what they need, and thus simply eat less, that would be a step in the right direction. Further, it s not just restaurant portions that have grown even glasses and dishes are much larger than they were a few decades ago.

Based on these latest data, giving further thought to portion size may be more helpful to the average person than cutting out a single food or ingredient. Take a look at these suggestions from the CDC.