Portion Sizing
How big is your portion?
Cara Karner MS, RD, LD, CDE
Catherine Robinson MS, RD, LD, CDE
Outline
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Weight Trends- then vs. now
Portion Sizes- then vs. now
Increased calorie intake = weight gain
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Ways to decrease intake
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How to avoid weight gain
100 calories at a time
Nutrient dense vs. “empty” food
Summary
Weight Trends- Then vs. Now
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NHanes Study Results:
From 1960-1980 the US had a relatively stable
weight.
1980-1994
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showed an ~8% weight gain.
1999-2008
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weight gain in women 2.1% (insignificant)
men 4.7% (significant)
Flegal, Katherine M, Carroll, Margaret D, et al. “Prevalence and Trends in Obesity Among US Adults, 1999-2008.”
JAMA 2010:303(3) 235-241.
Weight Concerns
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Why have we gained weight?
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Increase portion size of food
Increased accessibility to food
More sedentary lifestyle
More energy in vs. exerting energy out
Inappropriate weight gain increases risk of
developing- Hypertension, Diabetes,
hyperlipidemia, sleep apnea, and certain
cancers.
Why have we had such an
increase in weight over the last 30
years?
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The caloric intake and portion size of our
foods has tripled in the past 30 years
Our access to high calorie high fat foods is
much higher than it was
We are more sedentary than we used to be
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Includes introduction of computer/tv
Portion Sizes- Then vs. Now
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In the next few slides you will see an
increase in serving size of the foods we eat
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You will also see a difference in the calorie
levels then vs. now
Portion Sizes- Then vs. Now
How do we prevent weight gain?
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Decrease our portion size of high fat/high
sugar foods
Increase energy expenditure (exercise more)
Less energy in and more energy out
Weight Maintenance
Weight Loss
Less energy in
Energy in
Energy out
More energy out
How do we put this together?
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To lose 1 pound per week you must have
500 calories less per day.
Most of the food items we just looked at had
between 200-500 calorie difference
If we start choosing smaller portions of high
caloric foods we will decrease our caloric
intake, which lends to weight loss.
Examples of different portion
sizes
Burning up calories
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One way to lose weight is to cut calories
The other way is to burn the food off we eat
through exercise
We recommend doing both for healthy
weight loss
The next slide will show us what it take to
burn off ~ 500 calories
Ways to decrease our intake 100
calories at a time
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We can easily have 100 calories extra per
day without realizing it.
Just by decreasing our portion size by 100
calories per day we could lose up to 10
pounds per year.
Example of 100 calories
10 large jelly beans (1 ounce)
25 pieces = 100 calories
Save calories by switching to a lower
fat milk with fewer extra calories!
165 125 100 85
calories calories
calories
calories
Whole
Calories
saved:
2%
40
1%
65
Fat Free
80
Calorie comparison: Beverages
1 cup (8 oz.) unless noted otherwise
Fat-free milk
100% Orange Juice
Fruit punch
Cola, 12 oz.
Latte (made with
syrup, whole milk) 12 oz.*
*Latte calories can vary
quite a bit.
Extra calories
Think before you drink
How many
extra calories
are YOU
sipping?
Calorie comparison: 3 oz. cooked
beef
Extra lean ground
beef (95% lean)
165
0
345
Beef sausage
180
0
100
200
300
400
Approximate calories
Extra calories
Total calories
Nutrient Dense Food vs.
“Empty calorie” Food
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As Americans we tend to consume high
calorie high fat foods that do not contain a lot
of nutrients (empty calorie foods)
Per Wikipedia- “According to the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans 2005, nutrientdense foods are those foods that provide
substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals
and relatively few calories.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient_dense
Examples of Nutrient Dense
Foods vs. Empty Calories
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Empty Calories
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Soda
Candy
Sugar
Sweet tea
Alcohol
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Nutrient Dense Foods
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Fruits
Vegetables
Eggs
Meat
Cheese
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient_dense
Which is most nutrient-dense
(most nutrients for fewest calories)?
2 slices whole
wheat bread
1 medium croissant
http://mypyramid.gov/pyramid/discretionary_calories.html
Most Nutrient Dense
140 calories
230 calories
http://mypyramid.gov/pyramid/discretionary_calories.html
Which is most nutrient-dense
(most nutrients for fewest
calories)?
3 fried chicken
wings with skin
and batter
3 oz. roasted,
skinless
chicken breast
http://mypyramid.gov/pyramid/discretionary_calories.html
Most Nutrient Dense
475 calories
140 calories
http://mypyramid.gov/pyramid/discretionary_calories.html
Average calories …
200 calories/
1.5 oz
240 calories/
medium glazed
doughnut
150 calories/
12 oz.
460 calories/
medium order
Summary
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Try and eat more nutrient dense foods vs.
empty calorie foods
By decreasing our portion size and calorie
intake 100 calories per day = lose 10 pounds
a year
Energy in vs. Energy out
Portion size Trends
Weight Trends
THANK YOU!!
THE END