The Serving Size Dilemma

Have you checked the serving size?

The Serving Size Dilemma

In February 2010 the New York Post published an article discussing the challenges with the serving size on food labels. Many “individual” food items have more than one serving per container such as a can of soup, a pint of ice cream and even a bag of animal crackers. You think you are eating 120 calories, but wait! If you look closer there are actually three servings in the container so you just ate 360 calories! The question becomes, “Do you really know how much you are eating?” Unless you are examining the food label and using a calculator, you may not!

A New Trend in Food Labeling

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to simplify grocery shopping and label reading for the consumer. They are considering two things that might help you grocery shop smarter. First, the FDA is considering putting food labels on the front of the package. This way the calorie and serving size information will be starring at you on the shelf. Second, they are re-evaluating serving size and making the serving match how much is in the actual package for applicable items. For example, a muffin’s food label would provide the nutrition information of the whole muffin, not just half of it.

With 64 percent of America overweight, we have to wonder if making the food label more visible will help people be aware of calories and thus eat less. After all, that is the goal. So many Americans snack mindlessly. It is not uncommon for people to come home from work, grab a bag of chips and munch until dinner. They likely have no idea that every 6 chips they eat can be 150 calories.

Putting the food label on the front of the package might jolt reality and hopefully help them think twice about grabbing another handful.


Eating Wisely

The key to eating wisely is paying attention. In order to know how many calories you are consuming, you have to flip the package over and scan the food label, specifically the serving size. Then you can evaluate if you are getting the best caloric bang for your grocery buck!

If you are a person who does not like to think about nutrition or calculate calories, it is likely best for you to buy foods that have one serving per container. This should keep you from over-eating this particular item. It is impossible to avoid foods that have multiple servings per package, but buying less of them should help you on your nutrition journey. However, if you don’t mind a little calculating, there are some creative things you can do to avoid eating an extra serving at a snack or meal:
 When you get home empty the package and divide it into individual servings. Then put those in snack baggies.
 Separate loaves of bread, packs of bagels and containers of tortillas in half and put half in your refrigerator to freeze for next week.
 Write a list of what snacks you will have for the week, gather those foods and group them together in the appropriate serving sizes.
 When you cook a bag of rice or pasta, immediately refrigerate half of it.
 Locate your measuring cups and spoons and have them handy for measuring things like cereal, grains and peanut butter.

If you have a question for the dietitian, visit www.texashealth.org/askamy

Amy Goodson, MS, RD, CSSD, LD
Registered Dietitian
Ben Hogan Sports Therapy Institute
Executive Health Program