To think this is why people’s ideas of portion sizes is messed up.

[Meruem]

Watch any diet/healthy eating show and they talk a lot about portion size. I had an M&S butter chicken curry tonight. It costs £4 and comes in what people would commonly believe is a single potion size. I do actually only eat half at a time, mainly because I have it with naan bread, but can easily see why someone would eat one on its own. Yet look on the back and it says, in small print, “portions 2”.

DS has been eating a lot of tinned soup lately rather than more calorific lunches as he is trying to lose weight. But again look on the back and 1 tin is apparently 2 portions. So why don’t they sell it in half tin sizes? You get half tins of beans, spaghetti etc so why not soup.

Many, many other foods are sold in portions of 2, sometimes even 3 or 4. But it’s not clear unless you go looking for it.

If we want to tackle the obesity crisis then why doesn’t it say in big letters on the front “x amount of portions” rather than bury it in small print on the back? Yes you could argue that people should look and inform themselves but realistically, until a person is already overweight, most won’t bother.

While I don’t disagree that people need to take personal responsibility I do think that the way things are packaged and sold has had an influence and that highlighting to people what a single portion is could go some way to making a difference.

I agree about the plate and bowl size. I was advised by a dietician to use smaller crockery and I was surprised at how much difference it made. The half carton of soup looks like almost nothing in my massive bowls but like a full portion in the small bowls.

I bought basic white plates and bowls from IKEA, they were 50p each and the perfect size.

People eating processed crap won’t be healthy, no matter what the portion size is

Oh do get over yourself. Do you know how bored people are with sanctimonious comments like this?

I think the Main issue is seeing some foods 'bad' and some foods 'good'. I believe portions and balance between everything including ready meals sometimes would help people maintain THEIR healthy weight

Well said.

My friend started logging all his food on MFP and couldn't work out why he didn't lose weight. It wasn't until he logged his bottle of lucozade as '1' that I pointed out he'd actually drunk '2' according to the app.

I have tonight deleted this app having tried to use it and discovered it's useless because it is completely inaccurate. The majority of the data is from users who are apparently clueless to how to accurately work things out. I was checking an items and checked with the manufacturer info and the mfp results varied wildly and at least one entry was hundreds of cals out. Shouldn't be allowed, false advertising

As someone who lives alone it is incredibly irritating that so many products come in sizes of 2/3/4 portions and supposedly can't be stored to use later (I'm learning this isn't always accurate either)

It's all to make money of course

My favourite example of this is chilled pizzas that have a single serving size of 1/3 of the thing. Imagine cutting that up with a pizza wheel.

Erm cut into 6 slices and eat 2?

Just cook food instead of buying ready made surely ? not everyone has the time or ability

I loved cooking for many years, now that I am disabled there are many elements of cooking from scratch I simply can't manage. Peeling and chopping root veg, handling heavy pans, standing for how long it takes to make certain meals...

I don't think it's fair to make it an issue about individual willpower when billions of dollars are spent each year with the goal of getting you to consume more.

Exactly

Who said anything about policing and penalising? I just want to be able to make choices without being manipulated by big companies for their own profit

Definitely!

If the traffic light system were applied per 100g/100ml it would be much clearer and easier to compare products - but manufacturers don't want that cos then we'd KNOW how unhealthy their products are!

Actually if I were in charge I'd do:

Big lettering/imagery

Traffic lights per 100g/100ml

TOTAL cals per pack on every product - inc alcohol!

And a Conservative government believes far more in the power and economic arguments of Big Business than it does in “Nanny State Tactics” to guide public health

Tories "believe" in keeping donors sweet!

If I ever break it, I’m screwed.

At least you can cook rice I've tried all the tips and tricks to no avail that's why I use micro rice which I heat on the hob

I don't often eat ready meals mainly as the veggie ones are shite and all the same! But I do use items to make a meal that are easier and more convenient for me to use given my limitations.

Others have other limitations - time, cooking space etc

Eating out more frequently (especially at certain pubs that serve massive portions) also must skew people's portion sizes.

The comment about processed food is also sadly correct. All calories are not the same, some foods are so calorific but unsatisfying. There is a particular cominbination of fat, salt, sugar and carbs which is absolute Kryptonite for humans. The food industry hit on it, replicate it over and over again and 40-50 years later, by odd coincidence two thirds of adults are overweight.

combination

@Graphista

My friend started logging all his food on MFP and couldn't work out why he didn't lose weight. It wasn't until he logged his bottle of lucozade as '1' that I pointed out he'd actually drunk '2' according to the app.

I have tonight deleted this app having tried to use it and discovered it's useless because it is completely inaccurate. The majority of the data is from users who are apparently clueless to how to accurately work things out. I was checking an items and checked with the manufacturer info and the mfp results varied wildly and at least one entry was hundreds of cals out. Shouldn't be allowed, false advertising

As someone who lives alone it is incredibly irritating that so many products come in sizes of 2/3/4 portions and supposedly can't be stored to use later (I'm learning this isn't always accurate either)

It's all to make money of course

My favourite example of this is chilled pizzas that have a single serving size of 1/3 of the thing. Imagine cutting that up with a pizza wheel.

Erm cut into 6 slices and eat 2?

Just cook food instead of buying ready made surely ? not everyone has the time or ability

I loved cooking for many years, now that I am disabled there are many elements of cooking from scratch I simply can't manage. Peeling and chopping root veg, handling heavy pans, standing for how long it takes to make certain meals...

I don't think it's fair to make it an issue about individual willpower when billions of dollars are spent each year with the goal of getting you to consume more.

Exactly

Who said anything about policing and penalising? I just want to be able to make choices without being manipulated by big companies for their own profit

Definitely!

If the traffic light system were applied per 100g/100ml it would be much clearer and easier to compare products - but manufacturers don't want that cos then we'd KNOW how unhealthy their products are!

Actually if I were in charge I'd do:

Big lettering/imagery

Traffic lights per 100g/100ml

TOTAL cals per pack on every product - inc alcohol!

And a Conservative government believes far more in the power and economic arguments of Big Business than it does in “Nanny State Tactics” to guide public health

Tories "believe" in keeping donors sweet!

If I ever break it, I’m screwed.

At least you can cook rice I've tried all the tips and tricks to no avail that's why I use micro rice which I heat on the hob

I don't often eat ready meals mainly as the veggie ones are shite and all the same! But I do use items to make a meal that are easier and more convenient for me to use given my limitations.

Others have other limitations - time, cooking space etc

If you are based in the UK, Nutracheck is much better and easier to use IMO, and the food database is excellent. The full version you do have to pay for, but it's pretty inexpensive and you can give it a good try first, for 7 days, without having to give over any credit card details.

People's sense of portion side has absolutely changed since I was growing up. It's not just cans of soup making people fat, but the fact is that many people eat far more in a sitting.

It's interesting to look to at the changes in portion sizes at fast food places.

I always chuckle when I see the "serves 2" on a tin of soup. No, 102 kcal of tomato soup is NOT a meal, not even if I add the type of baguette I like does it make a full meal. It would be 428 kcal in total and I rarely eat more than twice a day. I really don't have the time or energy to eat 4-5 times a day, so I will stick with my full tin of soup, little miss piggy that I am

Fast food is really unsatisfying though.

I've been doing the Fast 800 and eating 800 - 900 calories a day in two meals recently- careful portions of things like salmon, mackerel, avocado, full fat cheese, olive oil, butter, with lots of greens and some rye bread, lentils etc, nothing over-processed at all - satisfying food and I've felt less hungry than when I've eaten twice as much on diets in the past. Yet I could eat 800 calories worth of McDonalds in a single sitting and still feel like I wanted more - could probably eat the whole meal again.

@EggysMom

With the soup, I would agree; I remember that when I was growing up, my parents would share one can of soup at lunchtime (tin rinsed with about an inch of water) along with some fresh bread. But now it appears normal for one person to have a tin of soup entirely to themselves.

Yep. I clearly recall my mum serving Heinz soup (one tin) for her and three kids (plus a slice of bread) for launch. Now my colleagues eat the same size tin each at lunchtime.

If you really want to see the real issue with portion sizes look at rate my plate on FB, especially on a Sunday. Massive portions.

Yep. I clearly recall my mum serving Heinz soup (one tin) for her and three kids (plus a slice of bread) for launch. Now my colleagues eat the same size tin each at lunchtime.

I get what you're saying but I think tins of soup are an anomaly in portion size terms.

A full tin of Heinz minestrone is 126 calories. That's less than a single slice of unbuttered bread!

1/2 a tin of that would be 63 calories and is absolutely no use to anyone as a meal.

I remember having half a tin of soup for lunch, but I was a kid and obviously smaller. Most tinned soup is nutritionally void and not filling for the amount of calories compared with home made though anyway. You'd probably get more nutrients from licking the tin. Amazing how many calories they are as well yet so unsatisfying.

DH and I find one pack of Tilda rice quite enough between us. We have it with chicken stir fry which contains cashew nuts, spring onions and peppers. And I usually keep some back to have for lunch the following day. I swear to god I’m not an under eater. Am overweight for my short height at 10.5 stone but slowly losing.

I buy soups from the chill cabinet. Tinned soups contain frightening amounts of salt as a preservative. A carton is two portions for me, I have it with a wholemeal seeded roll usually.

@Meruem

Trust me I slather that naan bread in enough butter to lift me out of the under eating category I do just find a whole one a bit much sauce wise. But it is just an example of misleading sizes/calories.

Missing the point but.....naan bread with butter....does anyone really do this?! Surely it's meant to mop up the sauce, not be slathered in butter!

Yep. I clearly recall my mum serving Heinz soup (one tin) for her and three kids (plus a slice of bread) for launch. Now my colleagues eat the same size tin each at lunchtime.

I do not believe that four people shared one of those tins for lunch and had enough to eat, unless the bread slice was huge enough to be far more calorific than the rest of the tin. They are absolutely not intended for four people, unless three of them are babies.

If you really want to see the real issue with portion sizes look at rate my plate on FB

Isn't food porn the entire point of that page?

I do think portion size has been skewed and that coupled with a reliance on processed food is the perfect storm. Having lost nearly 5 stone in the past year, I have had to completely change how and what I eat. I eat mostly unprocessed food, so really notice the difference in how I feel when I do eat something that’s processed. I feel sluggish and tired but interestingly, I also feel very hungry soon after. I just want to eat more of the same. Obviously that’s my own personal experience, but I do think there’s more at play than people simply lacking self control.

I do not believe that four people shared one of those tins for lunch and had enough to eat, unless the bread slice was huge enough to be far more calorific than the rest of the tin. They are absolutely not intended for four people, unless three of them are babies

It's less than half a cup each 🤔

I do agree Op some portion sizes are skewered but It all depends on calories etc. I sometimes have a tin of lentil soup for lunch with a slice of bread. My male work colleague commented on how much I was eating. Firstly it's none of his god damn business and secondly the whole thing came to around 300 calories for lunch which is quite light.

Find it amusing how the teeny tiny haters congregate and get super excited on threads that wish to discuss labeling and portion sizes from the past. Probably reporting back to the other forum on how super cool they were and taking the piss. Not seeing competitive under eating discussions though?

I think the labeling is interesting, simply because people are consuming more salt etc than they should. And yes, I remember my mum and stepdad sharing a can of soup, yet we eat whole ones now. And they were more active. Strange as I think a can isn't enough but that's what they did!

My dad worked for a food manufacturer and when selling ready meals people don't want to look lonely so portions for two sell better than portions for one even though lots of people eat the whole thing themselves

@ILoveShula

The portion size on the pack is an indication of how they can market it as red, amber or green. The whole pack would probably make it read, but claim it is for 2 people and you halve everything, so get it down to amber.

It’s only half the calories, so you can have twice as much!

@MouseholeCat

I'd actively worry about somebody having half a can of soup given that it's usually max 300 kcal a can and that's a pretty measly and rather depressing meal.

This.

Someone who thinks 1/2 tin of soup constitutes a meal has an extremely unhealty relationship with food.

Missing the point but.....naan bread with butter....does anyone really do this

Funnily enough I never used to do it until I met my ex, who is actually Indian. He did it and I tried it and now can’t go back. Melting butter on a piping hot naan is lovely! I eat the sauce with a spoon

I’m not hugely fussed about my own weight, I could do with losing a bit but not panicking about it. It’s only really come to my mind due to DS cutting down his food intake. I should point out, he’s 32, not a child. So he’s been reading a lot of labels and we’ve been discussing it. As I say I was a bit shocked that some things I considered were for one were labelled as for 2. The chicken and soup were just random examples.

I remember that when I was growing up, my parents would share one can of soup at lunchtime (tin rinsed with about an inch of water) along with some fresh bread. But now it appears normal for one person to have a tin of soup entirely to themselves

But that was lunch, presumably they were having a main meal in the evening - meat and two veg type? If you are doing that (and especially if they had a cooked breakfast too) then half a tin of soup for lunch would be enough.

I agree! I think we (as people) need to take more responsibility but it is also down to packaging too. I had no idea until recently that when buying a bottle of pop say as a meal deal, the 500ml is actually 2 servings! It does say on the back, but I had no idea. But then a can, 1 serving? Is over half of the bottle at 325ml so it doesn't make much sense and most of the time you can only buy little bottles from the fridge etc.