Bigger is not always better!
In today’s world, and especially in the food industry, we often think the more we get for the price we pay, the better. Although it may make sense logically, what you may be buying cheap is heart disease or cancer!
Don’t go for the larger candy bag or fast food portion “because it’s cheaper”!
It may cost you your health or life.
Restaurants have increased their portion sizes dramatically the last 10 to 20 years. For example an original McDonald’s burger patty started out at 1.6 ounces, and now the Double Quarter Pounder is 8 ounces - that’s 5 times more meat!
Starbucks used to offer the ”short” cup of coffee, at 8 ounces, now the smallest size you can order is a 12 ounce “tall”, which is about twice the size of what used to be considered a regular cup of coffee.
Larger portions result in us consuming more than we need.
Psychologically we tend to want to “finish our plates” or “have it all”.
According to a study, moviegoers ate 61% more popcorn when given the larger container than they did with a small size. Snackers ate about twice as many M&Ms from a jumbo bag than they did from a smaller one.
Often it is best for us, in the long run, not to restrict ourselves to a 100% healthy diet and have some freedom to choose what we want, when we want it. However when we eat healthy and nutritious food that make us feel great, we may be surprised how often the “what do I want?” is another delicious healthy meal. This goes together with truly learning to listen to your body’s needs.
We all know junk food is unhealthy and can also be very addictive, which is why it is smart to set yourself up for less harm by buying the smallest size there is and adopting this habit with your children and loved ones too if/when you occasionally choose to go for an unhealthy choice. When a larger portion is placed before us, we may eat 30-50% more often without even realizing we are eating more!
P.s. The opposite is often true as well. Place a Large bottle of water before you on your office desk, and you may have done yourself a great healthy favor with increased energy and focus as just some of the benefits!
Partial source: IIN and The Portion Teller by Lisa R Young, Phd.
