Open AccessMitigating the Health Risks of Dining Out: The Need for Standardized Portion Sizes in Restaurants
Author(s) -
Deborah A. Cohen,
Mary Story
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2013.301692
Subject(s) - environmental health , overweight , portion size , calorie , obesity , behavioral risk factor surveillance system , medicine , population , caloric intake , gerontology , food science , biology , endocrinology
Because restaurants routinely serve food with more calories than people need, dining out represents a risk factor for overweight, obesity, and other diet-related chronic diseases. Most people lack the capacity to judge the caloric content of food and there is limited evidence that people make use of calorie-labeling information when it is available. Standardized portion sizes would not preclude people from eating as much as they want, but would make the amount they are getting fully transparent. We describe the potential benefits and means of implementing a system of standardized portion sizes that might facilitate a healthier diet among the US population.