The Ban on Trans Fats in Restaurants: How About a Ban on SuperSize Portions?

Yesterday the New York Times ran an article about NYC restaurants implementing the new ban on transfats.

Love the fact that we get to eat butter in our food now; much healthier and tastier way to live. I have always believed in eating real food, what you like, to stay healthy, full, and satisfied, which helps you to actually stop eating.

Why however, has the issue of our SuperSized portions of food, served in restaurants, movie theatres, newstands, not been addressed?

Does it take a degree in nutrition, or advanced food additives, for us to finally realize that the amount of food we eat is out of the ordinary?

I think about the size of chocolate bars when I was a kid growing up. They were half the size, and that is without the extra 30% they put on to make you buy more with a little bit extra money.

You know how in movie theatres, if you spend just 50 cents more, you get three times more popcorn and a bigger Big Gulp?

Are the restaurant lobbies so big that we can't start legislating smaller portions? Even with the epidemic obesity rates and health problems?

Now I know that the government doesn't pay for our health care, so we don't have as much government interference, like we do in Canada. There, because the government pays for the health care, they think nothing of posting huge pictures of decayed lungs, and messed up fetuses on packages of cigarettes, to cutdown on consumption.

Now I am not suggesting that we put photos of oversized bodies on the packages of popcorn in the cinema. But we clearly are not going to be able to rely on our government to help us with the fact that we simply get served too large portions of food.

So, a few tips to figure out how to lose weight, without it being a big, fancy deal. And no dieting, please.

1) Take advantage of the huge portions in restaurants, and bring home doggie bags! You get to eat for another day! Wrap it up right away, or if it is in front of you, you will simply eat it, because it is there. Believe me, your stomach does just get used to filling it with more food, and you won't feel done, or like stopping, until you start to eat 20-30% less. Is this number scientific? I wish I could say yes, it simply has been tried and true.

2) Eat what you like. Just eat less of it. Think of shifting the time you eat it. Have your ice cream after lunch perhaps. Again, have one scoop, not two. But don't forget that you had it. Forgo the dessert later on.

3) With your kids, if they eat 2-3 portions on a regular basis, (that is if they really do need to lose weight as per a doctor's advice, not because you happen to think they should be thinner,) help them to learn that they need to eat less for their body and that it is going to take some time during which they might think they are hungry. They have to train their brain differently. Retrain their body and satiety signal.

This is not complicated. We can't rely on our government, despite wonderful efforts being set forth to ban trans fats and take away vending machines in cafeterias. We simply get offered too much food.

Think doggy bag! Less is more!

Happy eating.

Comments

[mcyina]

I want a ban on the evil looks and stupid comments I get when I don't eat all my food at restaurants.

[JScott]

Yeah yeah yeah all this debate about how oversized portions and letting the consumer make the 'choice' is all kinda bs. When there is real choice, not just big portions choice and not just dairy and meat laden choices (which are probably more profitable for the restaurant) and if you have good food, choice will find it's way. I"ve noticed some restaurants are actually offering smaller portions (esp. for seniors), I think that's wise. And I have heard that euro tourists are apalled at the huge portions offered in US restaurants (not to mention all that food waste), and you know what they are probably right.

[SevenLevels]

I'd like to propose a ban on banning stuff? What are we, third graders? We do NOT need a nanny state to tell us what we should and shouldn't do with our bodies. You are perfectly within your rights to order a dish and not eat what you want, just as I am perfectly within my rights to order a dish and eat every last bite if I want to. I don't need you to tell me how to live my life and I REALLY don't need the government intervening either. I'm sure in your personal life you make plenty of poor choices that the public is not privy to (in the way the overeating is assumed in an overweight person) and I think you might be more than a little irritated if we started regulating your behavior.
Peace,
Kelly

[relevancematters]

I think you're all missing the point: this is not about rights, it's about American culture. We always want--and grab--more than we need. We are a culture of excess and waste, and we seem to feel we're entitled to it.

The author is simply observing the enabling of this phenomena in the context of the media focus on obesity and health.

You're all very touchy; think you were starving or something!

[SevenLevels]

If its cultural than change the culture, not the laws. She's lamenting the fact that we can't legislate portion sizes. What we do not need in this culture is constant oversight from our government. We can be trusted to live our lives the way we want. The three "tips" she gives at the end of her "article" are as ubiquitous as Cosmo sex tips. Its not like we aren't aware of our options and its not like we need them beaten into our heads repeatedly.
And she is not "simply observing" she is simply whining. She strikes me as the kind of person who would like to legislate portion sizes because she's tired of having to look at fat people all the time and that obesity is aesthetically unpleasing to her.
We are touchy because as a fat person, I'm tired of people like the author assuming the reason I'm overweight is that I'm too retarded to think for myself and I need Uncle Sam to step between me and my peanut buster parfait. No, I'm sorry, that's not the answer.
If you want to change the culture, fine, but stop trying to get the law involved in my life.
Peace,
Kelly

[kingcityguru]

Why do you Libs always want to control the behaviour of others.

Supersizing just gives a person more "food" that they want for the dollar. What is wrong with that? You can order a supersize meal and feed two people for a lower cost than buying two regular meals. If YOU don't want to eat that much food, then don't.

[Dunnage]

Vote portion control.

[BARRISTER]

I cannot understand how we claim to be a Democracy when our own choices as individuals are being subjugated by the choices of a few politicians and their money givers.

If you choose to eat lard in a restaurant, thats YOUR choice. No politician ought to have a say in that.

[joanndarc]

Why a person who has no biochemistry and toxicology background is writing about foods???
By the way, Germans don't starve themselves but obesity in Gemany is quite uncommon, the fact itself negates/contradicts the theory that singles out "a portion size" as the only major factor.
Don't you agree that the major difference between US and Germany (as well as Europe) is the food Quality.

[dexxjones]

how about a ban on butter? how about we coat the streets with rubber so when you fall you won't break your head? in fact, why not require property owners to cover all sharp/hard objects, lest they be sued!

when i read things like this, i remember where the wingnuts got their original anti-liberal talking points from. why not install devices which can detect if a person ate too much? drank too much? smoked this newer, stronger pot that we hear about every ten years like clockwork as an excuse to further sanction it? why not ban anything that might possibly be dangerous (hell, just ban anything fun)

rollercoasters? bad for people with heart conditions! golf carts? far too dangerous with no iron girding on the side and besides, most golf courses are restrictive/racist/sexist/homophobic.

just stop already. the wingnuts couldn't buy better nonsense to point at as an example of liberalism gone awry.

[anon004]

"Take advantage of the huge portions in restaurants, and bring home doggie bags! You get to eat for another day! Wrap it up right away, or if it is in front of you, you will simply eat it, because it is there."

By the time I've had some bread, and the salad/appetizer, I'm usually just about full. So, I take a couple of bites of the entree, and bring the rest home. Since we're stopped going out as much (it's too expensive, and the kids menus' are usually terrible -- burgers, mozzarella sticks, fries, etc.), it's nice to have a second "restaurant" meal. Plus, I don't have to cook for two nights!

"With your kids, . . . help them to learn that they need to eat less for their body and that it is going to take some time during which they might think they are hungry."

I heard somewhere that it takes about 15 minutes for your brain to register that your stomach is full. That's why rushing through dinner (as many families do because we are running around getting our kids to activities) is such a bad idea. Besides, sitting at a table with people inhaling their food is pretty disgusting. Not to mention how discouraging it is for the cook to have spent all that prep time making a meal, only to have people devour it and move on in 15 minutes. So, slow down to eat, if you can.

[TJ1776]

How about letting me eat whatever I choose?

This is the problem with "progressives", they think they know what is best for everyone. Progressives are always the first to cry out "Never legislate morality !"

But here, they seem perfectly willing to legislate behaviors.

Let me enjoy a 1 pound burger with that double order of transfat fries...while I smoke my cigar in peace.

[onlyThis]

I agree goverment should be as least intrusive in personal lives as possible. I am a progressive but when it comes to government regulating our lives I am pretty much a libertarian. That being said, I do have a problem with overweight people, smokers, people who drive without seatbelts or helmets on motorcycles, etc. Why? Because I end up paying for it in my insurance policies and in my taxes. People who smoke should not be allowed to have health insurance, people who drive w/o seatbelts should ot be covered by car insurance if they are in an accident. I have NO problem with people making whatever choices they want to in their lives. What I DO have a problem with is me paying for the results of these choices. If you want to live a risky or unhealthy lifestyle great! Go for it! You only live once! Don"t however expect me to pay for the results of your choices. If you want total freedom you need to accept total responsibility.

[MrMike513]

Actually, you don't end up paying for overweight people and smokers. Smokers and overweight people, who tend to die much younger then normal weight people or non-smokers, end up costing the system less because they die younger. Think about it...who do you think costs more, a smoker who gets lung cancer and dies at age 65, or a person who lives to be 85, with 20 more years of health care costs? Be thankful that there are smokers and overweight people, because without them our social security and medicare would be in really serious financial trouble.

[anon004]

You'll notice that this blog doesn't say that the Government should regulate restaurant portions. It's only giving some advice to help those people who would llike to use it about how to deal with with huge American portions (and, if you don't think they are supercized, I suggest you travel outside the US (Canada and Europe). Why are conservatives always so paranoid about Government intervention when it might actually help someone (as opposed to just stopping them from having sex)?

[Chachi]

You have to be honest, this post does suggest the govt. should legislate portions.

"Are the restaurant lobbies so big that we can't start legislating smaller portions?"

[earlgreyrooibos]

I agree, TJ.

I personally don't like getting overfull on restaurant food, but I'm not about to tell somebody that just because it makes me uncomfortable to eat too much, they have to monitor their own behaviors. If the person next to me in line wants to Supersize, I'm not going to say anything. It's their body. I don't want someone telling me to do with my body in a reproductive sense; why would I try to control something like eating behavior?

[pdbim]

Dont blame this on progressives...this is just being a busybody. I dont have a problem with being educated or with the government (supposedly) regulating drugs, but if I want to eat something or smoke something, it's my business (as long as I am not impinging on someone else's space). I actually find this tendency to be more of a problem amongst conservatives (think sex, no not with them, thanks!).