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Hong Kong people are getting fatter.  According to the 2003/2004 Population Health Survey, 38.8 per cent of us are either overweight or obese.

Obesity rates in children have been steadily increasing for the past decade. A 2006 survey by the Chinese University of Hong Kong found that 42 per cent of teenagers  had problems with excessive body weight, high blood pressure, high blood sugar or abnormal fat levels.

Researchers  lay the blame on various diet and lifestyle factors. In particular, 'supersizing'  - asking for over-sized portions of foods - has been the focus of a number of scientific studies.

These have found that the rise in overweight and  obese people  coincides with an increase in  portion sizes of foods served both inside and outside of the home.

A 2003 US study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that, between 1977 and 1996, the  size of a portion and number of calories consumed had increased for almost every type of food bought at restaurants and those served at home.

For example, the consumption of salty snacks, such as potato chips, pretzels and popcorn, increased by 143 per cent, and the additional calorie intake for eating those larger portions varied from an extra 68 calories for French fries to over 97 calories for a hamburger.

Human nature

When we're given larger portions, we eat more!

A 2002 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at how much adults ate when they were offered different  size portions of macaroni cheese on different days. Researchers found that adults ate more when they were served bigger portions,  meaning they consumed more calories.

Interestingly, only 45 per cent of the adults who took part in the study said that they noticed a difference in the portion sizes being served.

Another study looked at the impact on adults being served  different  size packages of  crisps. As expected, both men and women ate more as the package size increased.

When  the volunteers were offered dinner a few hours later, results showed that they didn't eat less to compensate for the additional  calories  in the  crisps.

Portion distortion

A lot of the time, we're not aware of how much we're eating.  We can't  tell what  a healthy  portion is.

The table below compares common and healthy portion sizes of some popular foods.

Eating larger portions - and therefore more calories -  for one meal or snack won't instantly cause weight gain or obesity. However, eating larger portions of energy-dense foods on a regular basis and leading a sedentary lifestyle certainly will.

Despite the bad press, supersizing isn't all bad, as long as you super size the right types of foods.

Supersize fruit and veggies, and downsize high-fat and calorie-dense foods.

Here are a few tips to help you  serve healthy portions:

Serve your food on a smaller plate than usual

Don't  feel forced to finish everything on your plate

When you're eating out,  share the main course with  someone else

Don't eat directly from a packet, pour a small amount into a bowl instead

Divide contents of big packages into smaller bags to prevent overeating

Look at food labels to see what the portion size is

Take the food quiz

1. What is the percentage of overweight and obese people in Hong Kong?

a. 25.5%

b. 38.8%

c. 42.0%

d. 52.9%

2. Portion sizes of foods served in restaurants have decreased over the past 25 years. True or false?

3. Scientific studies have found that . . .

a. people eat less if they are served more food on their plates

b. people eat more if they are served more food on their plates

c. people eat more if they are served less food on their plates

d. people eat less if they are served less food on their plates

4. Which of the following foods should you supersize?

a. salty snacks

b. fast foods

c. fruit and vegetables

d. soft drinks

5. Which of the following foods has  had the greatest calorie increase over the last 20 years?

a. cheeseburger

b. bagel

c. pepperoni pizza

d. chocolate chip cookie

Answers:

1. b, 2. false, 3. b, 4. c, 5. d



Size matters