Health & Fitness
Portion Distortion
Everytime you eat out you could be ordering more fat and calories than you think. Some restaurants are dishing up portions fit for a king-- a very hungry king.Americans love to eat out. But in recent years the food being served at restaurants across the country has grown and so have our waistlines. In the quest to provide value, eateries offer bigger meals and servings. No longer are the portions made for one. In fact, in some cases one 'serving' is really like two, three and even four!
In the 1950's the typical bottle of Coca-Cola was 6.5 ounces. Today we're slamming two and three times that amount. And so the trend goes... bigger and bigger and bigger. According to the food watchdogs at Centers for Science in the Public Interest, chain restaurants are reprogramming Americans' expectations of what a true "serving" of food is.
A typical burrito should weigh about 5 ounces, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Yet a Chicken Burrito at Chipotle weighs four times as much, delivering 970 calories—including 300 calories from the white-flour tortilla alone. As Nutrition Action Healthletter illustrates in its September issue, Chipotle and other chain restaurants are changing the way we see our food.
Luckily for consumers, calorie counts are soon coming to chain restaurant menu boards.
Don't think you're chomping too much food? Well, here are some other foods served at popular chains that exceed the official serving size:
