Proportion Sizes

As an American, it is clear that obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. In food courts, restaurants, and even school cafeterias, it is evident that one of the leading causes to this problem is portion sizes. With bagels and burgers as big as my face, big firms leaning away from healthy choices and are loading up on carbs. 

The portion sizes in restaurants have quadrupled since the 1960s. In the 1960s, an average hamburger was 4 oz, fries were 3 oz and a drink was 10 0z. Today, the average hamburger is 7.6 oz, fries are 7 oz and a drink is 32 oz.   

If you were to make one cup of pasta that would have about 200 calories, which is what a typical restaurant would serve, but now restaurants serve close to three cups in just one serving. Now we may not think much of that because we have grown up in a society were that is perfectly normal. When we are served meals we don't look at them and say that is too big of portion, we simply just enjoy the meal how it is. This comes to show the enormous problem with the proportion sizes. How did these proportions sizes increase so much I ask myself.

There has been many studies trying to figure out why portions sizes have grown and continue to do so. Many studies have shown that the reason for this is because of what the consumers want, the value size. In other words they want more for there dollar. 

Although there has been some improvements with the proportion sizes in the United States, we still remain the ninth country ranked for highest obesity.