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Portion Bloat!

iWhat

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User Post: Portion explosion! - Healthy Living on Shine

I found an interesting article that goes into details about just how much portions in meals and foods have gone to such excessiveness over the span of 20 years.

I really can't remember the last time I had a meal that didn't to go along with the portion bloat theme. It doesn't help that restaurants make it more economical to purchase large meals for a smaller price.

The last restaurant I went to had the most outlandish portions that I've seen yet. Before I even got to the restaurant, it was recommended that I get a to-go box for my salad. The meal that I ordered was a dozen fried shrimp that appeared to have been fed a daily diet of steroids, also, it came with soup, salad, a massive baked potato loaded with bacon and cheese. Each course seemed like a dinner to me...

Anyone else seeing portion bloat going to an extreme? Do any of our international members see this in their country?
 

bobtomay

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Wife and I eat out a lot. Well, I say we do. We don't really eat out. We pretty much always get the food to go. Why, because we almost always can split one dinner between us.

Even the new local hole in the wall Mexican food restaurant. Ordering a plate of enchiladas and a couple extra tortillas and some guacamole, it's plenty large enough for the two of us to split. We also get enough chips and hot sauce to last us for munchies the next 3 days.
 
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Portions are out of control in this country. The calories per portion at a restaurant have easily tripled since I was in high school. Now, I realize I'm old but I haven't had my 20th... yet.
 
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Finally something to blame me being fat on !
 
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I've noticed this too. I know most of my meals are over-portioned. I still eat healthy, for the most part.

What I've actually been doing lately, and it has gone well, is use smaller utensils.

At home, I have teaspons (usually to make coffee/tea/etc), and tablespoons for eating (cerial, soup, whatever requires a spoon).

I've been using teaspoons to eat meals that require a spoon so I'm putting less in my mouth each time. I've noticed on several occasions that by the time I'm half way- 2/3 done, I'm already full and can't eat anymore.

It's all about moderation, and finding an appropriate method to tricking your brain into it. ;)
 

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Agreed iWhat. Way larger portions than when I was younger and even then a few years back. I usually eat at home but when I do go out a lot of time I do a Take Out as that way I can control how much I get and eat.
 
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Yeah portions are out of control around the world, most of the time I make my own food cause it's cheaper and tastes a heck of a lot better. I love to cook but many of the things that I made are not healthy as a salad per say but still much better than any fast food.
 
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Well I come from the other side of the story. As a chef. I know the portion sizes are getting absurd. In the 5 star places they are so small, you need 10 courses to just feel full it's crazy. But everywhere else, It's like you said, enough to feed a small African nation's army all for the one low price. I'm not a head chef though and I just do what I'm told, but they tell me make it tiny or make it large. I forget the time I've cooked a normal sized portion for someone.

I think it's a global problem.
 
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iWhat

iWhat

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Well I come from the other side of the story. As a chef. I know the portion sizes are getting absurd. In the 5 star places they are so small, you need 10 courses to just feel full it's crazy. But everywhere else, It's like you said, enough to feed a small African nation's army all for the one low price. I'm not a head chef though and I just do what I'm told, but they tell me make it tiny or make it large. I forget the time I've cooked a normal sized portion for someone.

I think it's a global problem.

As a chef at a restaurant, does there come a point in time, where the restaurant has too much food on supply, where you guys go ahead and need to serve out bigger portions to avoid throwing out food?

I remember on the show Kitchen Nightmares with Chef Gordon Ramsay, where the restaurant was going out of business merely for giving too much food to customers that they seemed to lose more than they gained in profit for the big meals. Customers were leaving with a couple doggie bags and to-go boxes from just one meal. :p
 
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Ever since I was little it was ingrained into my head that I needed to finish everything on my plate. This is my biggest problem with big portions. I know I shouldn't be eating the whole meal, but there's something deep down that's compelling me to do so. As such, I eat far more than I should. I've been trying to fight the urge to finish everything in front of me, but I just feel so guilty letting them throw away half a plate of food when I'm not in a position to take it home with me.

This is why I prefer cooking at home. I can control the portions and so don't feel so bad when I finish the entire plate as there wasn't much there to begin with.
 
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As a chef at a restaurant, does there come a point in time, where the restaurant has too much food on supply, where you guys go ahead and need to serve out bigger portions to avoid throwing out food?

In theory that's a great idea. But . . . .

The customers do not know how much or little food is left in the kitchen. hey are only informed if there is an item sold out. So they think bonus more food on my plate. But next week when we don't have ample food to give away, they still expect the large portions we gave the week before and get stroppy if they do not get them. Sure most people can't eat that much. But they just want the same each time they go into the restaurant.

So if there is extra food that will not last we just cook it up with the meals at service time and after service the left overs become staff meals. And the next week less food is ordered in.

But in saying that, a lot of chefs don't know what normal is. They think their dinner plate sized stake and 10-15 pancake stack and what the original poster said is normal. It takes someone to say woah slow down do not serve so much. Like it that kitchen nightmares episode. I think I saw it too.

But really I think the main issue is with the customer. If you get too much on your plate, doggy bag the left overs or just do not eat it. Sure some feel it an insult to the chef not to eat it all, but really it's ok with us all. The people should not force themselves to eat what they do not want to eat. More realistic portion sizes would help on that front too.
 
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I eat until I'm full, it's as simple as that.

Should I die at 35, this is merely the sign that I led a good 35 years.
 

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