In an earlier post, I showed some of the macro trends associated with obesity in the USA. In particular, I showed how increases in the price of fruit and vegetables relative to the price of soda and sugar were associated with rises in BMI and energy intake. In this post, I take a more focused look at the issue of obesity in the USA.
The graph below shows how the maximum serving size of several products offered by McDonalds and Burger King has changed over time. What is particularly noteworthy is that the amount of soda currently served to children at McDonalds is larger than the largest serving size available in the 1950s. It is also apparent that since the 1950s, the maximum serving sizes available for soda, French fries, and hamburgers have increased dramatically. Food for thought!
Sources:
- National Center for Health Statistics – Prevalence of overweight, obesity and extreme obesity among adults: Table 2
- Young & Nestle (2003) – Expanding portion sizes in the US marketplace: Implications for nutrition counseling: Table 2
- Young & Nestle (2007) – Portion sizes and obesity: Responses of fast-food companies: Table 1
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