Food Portions: Then vs. Now

[PrettySquareGal]

I dunno about most people but when my family put dinner on the table at family functions the portions were Supersized and you didn't have a choice.
"You want ice cream with your cake Sid?"
"Uh"
Plunk, plunk
"There you go."
That is really what happened.

It's always like that at my family functions on the Jewish side. Eat! Eat!

I oblige.

 

[jamespowers]

It's always like that at my family functions on the Jewish side. Eat! Eat!

I oblige.

Yep, exactly the same here.
Is that a rabbit you are holding in your avatar? It kind of looks like my friend's rabbit and little kids she just had. They sure are small at the beginning. :cheers1:

Regards to all,

J

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Yep, exactly the same here.
Is that a rabbit you are holding in your avatar? It kind of looks like my friend's rabbit and little kids she just had. They sure are small at the beginning. J

It's my guinea pig. I have three, all adopted from the local shelter.

 

[John in Covina]

I have lost some weight this summer by drinking a big glass of water before eating. Portions today are huge, very often I can divide the meal in half and take it home as another lunch or dinner.

I not hungry, I'll just pick!

 

[jamespowers]

Portions today are huge, very often I can divide the meal in half and take it home as another lunch or dinner.

Obviously a man who has never been to one of my family functions. Whether it was fifty years ago or two years ago, portion size was always the same. Don't forget the hors d'oeuvres, drinks and dessert.

Regards to all,

J

 

[varga49]

Even with smaller portions, I wonder how people kept trim eating so much mayonnaise and fat! I have some retro cook books and everything is drenched in lard or mayo.

I was looking for some treasures this weekend and came across a couple of hostess "snack service" sets- crystal plates with a built in place holder for a cup. I'm thinking of buying a set to snack in style! Maybe host a snack party.

I just returned from Russia recently. I noticed a few things with regards to food.
1. There are almost no obese people in Russia. Less than 5% easy,I'd say.
2. They use lots of mayonaise.
3. oh yeah, they eat a heck of a lot of borscht!

 

[scotrace]

The French Paradox

Wine, fatty foods and cigarettes, and low heart disease and cancer rates.

I think we Americans eat too much, and too much chemically processed food, and get little activity.

If I could cut out the bedtime snacking and... well, get in touch with my French blood, I'd be all set.

 

[photobyalan]

I'd bet the French diet, on average, contains a great deal less refined sugars than the typical American diet.

Refined sugars, such as white sugar and high fructose corn syrup, in my opinion, are a greater evil than lard, butter, or that delicious fat on the ouside of a standing rib roast. Mmmmmm...fat. At least the fat makes you feel full and sated for a while. Sugar and other highly refined carbohydrates (read: white flour) leave you hungry a half hour later, causing you to want to eat more.

It takes effort to avoid refined sugars in your diet, since they are in so many foods, but it's worth it for your waistline and your health in general.

 

[jamespowers]

I'd bet the French diet, on average, contains a great deal less refined sugars than the typical American diet.

Hmmmm... You mean like in french pastry and bread?

Regards to all,

J

 

[LaMedicine]

I dunno about most people but when my family put dinner on the table at family functions the portions were Supersized and you didn't have a choice.

That's fine so long as it is just that, an occasional family function, say Thanksgiving or any other including birthdays, so long as it isn't on a daily basis. Whatever food you eat, daily balance of nutrients and total amount in calories in balance with your daily activity is what counts most. There's no way around it. There is no other excuse for it.

Also keep in mind, for those who have health issues that are affected by their diet, the feast forced on them on such occasions easliy become an emotional and mental issue that often is hard to bear. I have had patients having a hard time trying to deal with this. True, family traditions are important, but awareness and consideration for those who are compromised should always be there.