When portion sizes don't make sense
 

I just finished a Nissen brand microwave ramen noodle type dish. One container, no resealable. I confess I didn't read the package clearly when I purchased it. I just saw 240 calories (of salty starchy goodness). Now, closer inspection reveals that the package contained TWO servings. Jeez. How many people share it, throw away the other half or put it away for later. It really wasn't that big.

I see that all the time on stuff that's really more of a single serving. Bran muffins with serving size as 1/2 a muffin. One dish items like you mentioned being two servings. It's just silly. Yes, at least we can figure out by multiplying by two, but it's certainly manipulation of the numbers to make them not look as bad. They hope you don't notice that it's two servings instead of one.

Watch the cereal boxes too, serving sizes all over the map, from 1/2 cup (to make the calorie/sugar/whatever count look lower) to 1 1/4 cups (to make the fiber amount look higher). When you compare cereal labels that way make sure you know what you are comparing amount-wise.

There's an old joke about portion sizes: "Serves two. (one Hawai'ian.)" ;) :D

:D

I'll be looking for that on the package labels whenever I'm next in the Star Market.

Most packages don't make sense. I've seen this on individual-size frozen pizzas.

My favorite is still this, found on a pie:

"Serving size: 1/8 pie
Servings per container: About 8"

:D

When I am in Japan, I can't stand their definition of portion size.

Its way too small. Go to Mosburger and order two full meal sets. I feel like a pig but the hamburger is soo tasty and sooooo small. Can finish it in 3-4 bites.

Then I realize that my Western viewpoint of SUPERSIZING everything just makes everything else look small.

I thought this thread was about portion sizes in restaurants. Order a salad in NYC, you better share it because they give you an enormous plate of it.

Umm, depends on the restaurant. I've been in places where the entree was about four bites, and that wasn't a tasting menu. Other places you get a mountain of food. And unless you know the restaurant it's impossible to predict whether it's feast or famine.

This is my experience as well. Salads are tough. You never know what you're going to get.

I live in the UK and compared to sizes here, most places I've been to abroad offer huge servings of food, and tiny drinks. In the USA I don't mind too much - I just go to places with salad buffets :) In Europe I find myself either only eating at lunch time, or leaving half my food :(

I'd love to see how people eat in places like Japan - quality over quantity is something my taste buds could use....

Some times it's so they can call something fat free or low calorie, for example, if it has a half gram or less fat per serving, it's fat free.

So if some portion has just under a gram of fat, they can call that two servings, and call the thing fat free.

The government just says the serving size has to be reasonable or something like that, you can't make butter 7,000 servings per container and call it fat free.

My absoulte favorite is the half gallons if ice cream. 14 servings per container (they are actually a bit less than a half gallon now, that's why it's a weird number like 14)

Does anybody really get 14 servings from that?

Or 2.5 servings of soda from a 20 ounce bottle?

Oreos: Serving size: 4 cookies.

Oh come on! I'm at six before my mouth even knows what I'm putting in.

^ I've always wondered the same myself. I just buy the short 8oz cans so I don't feel bad when I multiply the 36g of sugar by 2.5 for a 20oz bottle :D

A serving size of one would be a lot easier to handle in that case, anyway.

I ate a bag of cheetos. 1 bag. calories per serving... 150. servings per container... 2

who the hell eats half of bag of chips with a sub at subway or a similar place

:D

I have finally learned to get the "mini-plate" when I get my katsu chicken or teriyaki or spam or ahi or oranage chicken meat-'n'-rice plate.

And I have enough left over for another meal.

If I go to a new restaurant, and don't know about their portion size (or how the food looks - important info!) I nosily look at the plates of people who already have their food as I am taken to my table. That gives me some ballpark estimates to work from. Huge plates/tiny portions/heavily battered fried food/wimpy pasta, etc.

The correct serving size for Oreos is one sleeve. :)

I was cooking some corn meal the other day and while waiting for it, I noticed the serving size was 3 tablespoons.

Hell, I spill that much just dishing it into the bowl. :(

I thought that was the correct serving size for Thin Mints! ;)

I can only eat two hoses of Thin Mints. Anything less is impossible.

How about ice cream? I think you're supposed to get around 14 or so servings out of that half-gallon.

On the other side of the coin, there's Buca di Beppo. Maybe they were inspired by that spaghetti scene with Ringo's mother from "Magical Mystery Tour."

The Cheese Cake Factory portion sizes are just about right.

:eek: Seriously? I'm hoping that was sarcasm....

I am routinely forced to order two meals when in Asia. They look at me like I'm such a pig. I will say, many places in the Asian market that are frequented by tourist do offer larger portions. One good example of this was a small "Mexican" restaurant we visited in Bangkok, Thailand. The tacos were HUGE! :)

I seem to recall the the FDA requirement for food labeling was going to change to fix this. Most consumers don't pay much attention to what they eat and don't vote based on it so it makes it pretty easy for the food lobby to do things like this, at least for a while, and get away with it. It's just a way to make your product more appealing. The lobbyists in this country have much more power than the electorate. To give another example, a few consumer friendly lobbyists have been trying to get legislation passed that would explain how much it would cost you if you just paid the bare minimum on your credit card bill every month. Every time this has been attempted, the credit card lobby has killed it. The money rules. The 2 servings per container is an example of it. In this case though, it's likely to soon come to an end.

This is why I prefer making my own salads.

:eek:

I tend to do that more often in Switzerland. And certainly eats up lots of cash from my wallet with the way prices are over there. Some of the restaurants in that nation offer some of the stingiest portions.