Watching portion sizes key to watching weight

NEW YORK, March 30

By Alan Mozes

Nearly 80% of people in the US believe that what they eat is more important than how much they eat -- even as they scarf down fast-food chain 'supersized' portions and corner-store muffins that have ballooned in size from 1.5 to 8 ounces.

The finding suggests that when it comes to losing weight, many people may be ignoring the importance of limiting overall calorie intake, according to Melanie Polk, director of nutrition education at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), which commissioned the survey.

And many people may not be aware that portion sizes -- and even standard restaurant plate sizes -- have grown in the last few decades, along with the average American waist line.

'It seems that with all this emphasis on fat over the last few years, our focus seems to have been distorted at the expense of portion size,' said Polk in an interview with Reuters Health. 'We sort of lost our perspective. And that would make sense given that more than half of Americans are overweight at this point.'

In the survey, which was conducted by Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates of Washington, DC, on behalf of the AICR, more than 1,000 people aged 18 and older were interviewed about their eating habits and weight-loss strategies. The survey findings appear to confirm recent data from the National Institutes of Health that suggest that 55% of Americans are overweight and 25% are obese. The survey found that:

• 62% of people say they are above their ideal weight, with 10% saying they need to lose 50 pounds or more;
• only 1% could correctly estimate standard serving sizes for 8 different major foods ranging from pasta to potatoes, as defined by the US Department of Agriculture;
• only 12% consider the Nutrition Facts food label guidelines when portioning out food, and 67% of people say they never measure out food;
• 56% decide how much to eat based on how hungry they are, and 26% eat everything on their plate no matter how much is served;
• and 34% continue to eat whatever they have become used to eating, regardless of changing caloric needs due to drops in daily activity levels or aging.

The good news is that most people can begin to change their habits right away and on their own., Polk said.

'We don't want to be measuring out our food all the time,' she acknowledged. 'That takes all the joy out of eating... but one of the best things that you can do to become more aware of what you are eating is to take a day and measure out some serving sizes and see how much it takes up the plate.'

While consulting a registered dietitian can help, 'some things people can do on their own -- saying 'hey, this is a lot more than I need, and I need to cut down,'' she said. People need to take into account their age, gender, and activity level when choosing what -- and how much -- to eat.

'So cutting down on portion size is one thing, and the other thing that can set you in the right direction is eating a more plant-based diet,' she said.

(30 Mar 2000 1:55:0 EST)