As two former New Yorkers who are also strong advocates of cutting sugar consumption across the board, Jessica and I could not remain silent on Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed ban on serving sugary drinks bigger than 16oz. We see both sides of the argument, and applaud the Mayor for bringing to the forefront the idea that as a nation we consume too much, and in particular too many sweet foods and drinks. While it seems over-the-top to have your drinking rights regulated in – by some measures – the greatest city in the free world, it is a proven fact that the larger the portion size the more we consume. And, as the size of sugary drinks has risen from a standard of 6.5 ounces in 1960 to 20 ounces today, Mayor Bloomberg may just have a point. Because if it’s water or vegetables we are talking about, certainly more is better, but when the item in discussion is sugary soda the result is less than ideal and bordering on dangerous. So, in honor of the Mayor’s bravery and willingness to talk about this issue, we dedicate this week’s post to portion sizes, big and small. Come and cook with us!
When food is ubiquitous it becomes difficult to truly understand what a portion size is. Walking into a Costco in the United States, you’d think that a family of four needs five pounds of pasta for dinner just to survive; it’s easy to lose your perspective in those aisles. The USDA My Plate dietary guidelines can provide a great roadmap for what to eat, however, getting a handle on portion sizes is harder. So, we’ve attached a handy list that we like to use to easily determine what a portion of meat looks like, vs. a portion of dairy, vs. a portion of vegetables. The quick rule of thumb we use is the following: on every plate you should have an amount of protein whose size is equivalent to a deck of cards, grains equivalent to the size of a light bulb, fruits and vegetables equivalent to the size of two baseballs (with an even or greater split towards vegetables), and dairy equivalent to the size of three stacked dice. Take a look at some additional guidelines, and leave those 20-ounce sodas on the shelves. Come and cook with us!
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Hi! First time on this blog. I have to agree people definitely consume too much sugar. I whole heartily believe it is not the governments place to tell people in a free country they can’t drink a 20 oz soda! Really all people will do now is refill the smaller cups or buy two at a time, if people want more sugary soda they will find a way to get it. Educating people has your blog does is far more effective Than regulating people sugary drink consumption. Thanks for making this information available!