
I am doing a cleanse this week—eating minimally to reset my body after the indulgences of the holiday season.
I’m measuring out tablespoons of nut butter and counting my veggie sticks to fit the plan. It has made me think about how much we eat and how we evaluate our portions of food. I’m not talking about what we’re eating but rather how much of it.
The going trend in North America has been that more is always better, especially if it is cheaper. Value is sometimes equated with quantity and so mass-produced foods can be produced cheaply are often popular at restaurants. We get more bang for our buck but we also tend to get less quality and often less nourishing food.
Did you know our portion sizes have increased over the last 50 years? Suggested servings for most foods have increased, especially for processed food and fast food. A serving of Coca Cola used to be six ounces. Now the company markets anything from 7.5 to 20 ounces as a single serving. Bagels and muffins used to be half the size they are now. Many burgers are 23% larger than just 20 years ago.
Even if we are eating healthy foods, we can have more at one sitting than we need to maintain our energy and stay strong. Our needs change at different times in our lives with our activities and age, but the trends, in our part of the world, have been largely to increase everything—our portions and us along with them.
One way to reference our energy when we choose a food or a meal is to look at the food’s energy, or calories. I won’t get into more science than this basic connection, because I think you will get the general idea.
• If I decide to have a piece of cheesecake at The Cheesecake Company (which probably comes after a savoury meal), I need to remember cheesecake calories get added to my total for the day (Each piece offered has more than 1,000 calories).
• I know my basic metabolic rate from one of those spiffy scales that measures everything is 1,450 calories each day. My body needs that to keep going at my usual pace.
• I was never great at math but 1,450 minus 1,000 equals not very much else to eat in a day if I want to just maintain. I am active so I usually use up more like 2,450 calories in a day from my activities and work. But the cheesecake still takes up almost half of that.
I realize this is an extreme example. I’m not saying people should count calories on a regular basis (unless that is their choice for a healthy goal). I’m just thinking there are others out there like me who don’t want to fall into a rut after having followed what we thought were reasonable suggestions.
Fast food places have taken away much of the “super-size” message. Many packaged foods mention “low fat” or other catchphrases that lull us into a sense of security.
Let’s continue to make our own choices. It’s no longer the norm to have to finish what’s on our plate, and better yet, if we decide how much goes on the plate then maybe we can waste less as well.
I am so very grateful to live with food security. I know there are many who don’t, so I’ll finish on this note.
How about we think of honouring the food we eat by enjoying it and recognizing how it nourishes us? Perhaps this is just an updated way to say we should think of those who would love even a small portion when we choose our generous one.
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.