Portion Distortion

While many Americans believe the kind of food they eat is more important that its quantity portion sizes have been steadily increasing over the past 20 years. Meanwhile nutritionists are studying the relationship between obesity and portion sizes and are trying to figure out how to get individuals to recognize the amounts of food they’re consuming. Articles written in journals such as Nutrition Reviews, the Journal of American Dietetic Association and the American Journal of Public Health have ample information on the subject. What I have learned to my surprise is that there is a discrepancy between the standard sizes the USDA recommends in the food pyramid and what the FDA requires in food labels. For those of you who may not know, the FDA is responsible for the food labels on everything we eat and drink. Why the difference? Well, the answer seems to be a combination of history and politics.

Not only can these two organizations not agree on standard serving sizes, but they are both way off when compared to real life servings in restaurants, fast food joints, and even cookbooks. According to the food pyramid a diet of 2,000 calories per day recommends 6-11 grain servings. This appears to be a lot to the average person because it seems to imply that one must consume grain 6 to 11 times a day. But that is not the case. The average bagel is about 6 ounces which is the equivalent of 6 servings. So if you had a bagel for breakfast this morning you’ve already consumed your daily amount of grain. How is anyone supposed know how to eat the appropriate amounts of healthy nutritious food when this kind of confusion is taking place?

It has been established by researchers that people have a difficult time estimating the size of what they eat. Differences in weight and volume measurements are confusing (I’m experiencing this first hand with my new USDA diet), and the terms small, medium, and large are subject to interpretation, and people who eat larger portions tend to underestimate the sizes of what they are eating to begin with.

So what’s the answer? Well, here are some portion control tips recommended by people working toward losing weight:

• Divide food in half before eating.
• Eat and drink out of smaller plates and cups.
• Center you meal around vegetables instead of meat or carbs.
• Fill up on salad and soup.
• Use your hand as a guide: a fist is about 1 cup, your palm is about 3 oz.

There is also a product available called the Portion Plate, which seems like it could actually be very helpful. Check out http://www.portionplate.com/ for more info.

Public Service Advertising

If you have watched TV over the last ten or twenty years you probably know about Smokey Bear, McGruff the Crime Dog, and the Crash Test Dummies. They are characters from commercials created by the Ad Council. The Ad Council’s mission is to zero in on a significant public problem and stimulate change through highly creative campaigns that are widely distributed. The various creative agencies that have volunteered their services created Smokey Bear to raise awareness about forest fires, McGruff the Crime Dog to encourage crime prevention, and the Crash Test Dummies that used humor to encourage people to buckle their seat belts. All their campaigns are done in conjuction with a nonprofit or government agency such as the US Dept. of Health and Human Services. In 2004 the Ad Council decided to tackle obesity. The campaign encompasses television, radio, and print, and relays the message that small steps can be taken to become healthy. click here Reading the Ad Council’s white papers on obesity prevention provided me with a lot of insight into their research and strategy. They have a very clear target audience, and specific campaign objectives. Facts and statistics regarding the audience and subject also play a major role. I also discovered theories on social learning and behavior change that they refer to in their research.

According to the Ad Council’s Obesity Prevention white paper, “most adults are knowledgeable of the benefits of eating less fat and more fruits and vegetables, but lack the motivation and skills to maintain healthier diets and behaviors in their daily routines over long periods of time. Weight loss efforts are often motivated by special needs or occasions. People have intention to change, but require social support, suggestions, and skills that can be adapted and maintained in their busy lives over time.” The diagram below (redesigned by me of course) appeared in this document and I think it perfectly illustrates the thought process that individuals go through when contemplating change.

From Healthy Eating to My Pyramid

What is eating healthy?

I recently read an article on www.scientificamerican.com called "Eating Made Simple." According to the author Marion Nestle, an nutrition professor at NYU, nutrition advice is a combination of scientific argument, the self interest of food companies, and compromises by the government. And yet its basic dietary principles have not changed for nearly 50 years: eat less; move more; eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; and avoid too much junk food.

• Eat less - consume fewer calories (smaller portions, limit between meal snacks)
• Move more - balance your calories with your physical activity
• Eat fruits, veggies, & whole grains - they provide nutrients not found in other foods
• Avoid junk food - foods of minimal nutritional value (highly processed, sweets, snacks, soft drinks)

Healthy eating habits will not only help people maintain a healthy weight, but have more energy, help prevent future health problems, and have good looking skin, teeth, and hair. What does a healthy diet consist of? Balance, variety, and moderation.

As part of my exploration into healthy eating I have decided to follow the USDA’s dietary guidelines to see how easy or difficult it can be. In the spirit of full disclosure I must say that I eat pretty healthy now. I eat almost whole grains exclusively, in fact I only eat white rice, bread, or pasta when I eat out, or at someone’s house. I have a sweet tooth and can easily over indulge, but I do love my vegetables. Looking over the information of what my diet will now consist of it seems the challenge is going to be portion control. What does a cup of fruit look like, or an ounce of meat? It will be harder to judge how much of what I have eaten when I haven't cooked it myself. I have one question, what food group is chocolate cake in?

Rebecca's new daily amount of food from each group:
Fruits - 1.5 cups
Vegetables - 2.5 cups
Grains - 6 oz
Meat & beans - 5 oz
Milk - 3 cups
Oils - 5 tsp

Hypothesis

How can design help us eat healthy nutritious food? We all make desicions every minute of every day about what to eat, and there is alot to consider when choosing. Cost, time, and convience are not the only things that affect our choices but also portion, packaging, and even how, when, and where we eat. And don't forget family behavioral patterns.

The importance of this issue is undeniable. Obesity is rising at an alarming rate and there are a multitude of illnesses as a result, such as Type 2 diabetes, hyper tension, heart conditions, and eating disorders. Today's children will most likely have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. Why does it seem that the more obesity stories appear in the media another shelf of diet books fills up at the bookstore? You'll find books on the thyroid diet, 3 hour diet, blood type diet, sonoma diet, self hypnosis diet...

Complex issues such as nutrition and weight cannot be solved by a magic pill, but design can inform us on how what we eat can help us live a satisfying, delicious, and healthy life.