Monday 29 March 2010

Portion sizes have doubled without us even noticing

Portion sizes have doubled in the last 20 years.

American researchers at New York University found that when McDonald’s first started in 1955, its hamburger weighed around 1.6 ounces - 28 grammes. We would think that was pretty mean if we were served it today. The basic hamburger now weighs 100grammes (but I think that includes the bun. Even so...)

I had a look at McDonalds website. There is loads of information, but no mention of the calories in each product. Well, it was hidden away if it is there at all. Find the calories here instead!

McDonalds are an easy target in many ways, because they do provide information. Your local takeaway doesn't measure and count, so you have no idea of the calorie content. I am not a great fan of calorie counting in detail, but if you are trying to control your eating, then it really does help to have a broad idea of where the calories are coming from. I suggest that for most of us, it is not coming from our 3 daily meals.

A double cheeseburger is 440 calories. That is a quarter of the rule of thumb daily allowance of 2,000 calories for women. A basic hamburger is 250 calories, without the regular fries, which are 274 cals. No wonder we all gain weight. This sort of eating is called "hedonic" by the medics. It is fun eating, extra to your normal 3 meals a day. At these calories, you could easily find your "hedonic" eats add up to more than your daily meals. Oops.

www.carolinebrowntherapy.com

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