PRESCRIPTIONS
Fast-food serving bloat will do the same to you

By Amy Tousman

Q. Lately, whenever I order a small fries from McDonald's I am given what appears to be a medium fries. Why?

A. This is part of a trend known as "super-sizing." Standard restaurant portions of fries and sodas have gotten larger. In many fast-food restaurants, a "medium" is the smallest size fries offered to adults.

Fast-food portions get bigger and bigger, threatening the health of those who indulge in them. Advertiser library photo

Upsizing to the 42-ounce super size soda gives you 28 teaspoons of sugar.

Getting the super-size fries will make your meal 63 grams of fat.

Plate lunches also are super-sized. A chicken katsu plate with two scoops of rice and one scoop macaroni salad is 68 grams of fat.

Movie-theatre snacks and convenience foods are also getting larger. Look at your average serving of movie popcorn or a Big Gulp.

Super-sizing has caused portion distortion. We see large portions so often that we now think these amounts are normal. In fact, the goal of "value pricing" is to make consumers expect big portions. Restaurants don't lose money with value pricing. They save by buying in bulk.

A typical plate lunch contains nine ounces of meat. A steakhouse steak is often 14 ounces. This is quite a bit more than the three ounces per meal recommended by health experts. Three ounces is the size of a deck of cards.

You can enjoy the convenience of fast foods without jeopardizing your health. The trick is to eat reasonable portions while keeping nutritional guidelines in mind.

With plate lunches, order a mini. Opt for tossed salad instead of macaroni salad. Choose items that are not deep-fried.

At fast-food restaurants, order a la carte. Eat a salad with your meal instead of fries. Choose the smaller sandwiches. Drink water. If you want fries, order the kiddie meal.

Eating super-sized meals regularly is like buying a heart attack on an installment plan. Put a value on your health. When it comes to greasy fries, sugar-laden sodas and fatty meats, more is not better.

Amy Tousman is a registered dietitian at Straub Clinic & Hospital and a member of the Hawai'i Dietetic Association.

Hawai'i experts in traditional medicine, naturopathic medicine and diet take turns in writing the Prescriptions column. Send your questions to: Prescriptions, Island Life, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; fax 535-8170; e-mail islandlife@honoluluadvertiser.com. This column is not intended to provide medical advice.