When we ordered a soda in the 1950s we got approximately 7 ounces. Today, we get anywhere from 12 to 64 ounces. An average portion of french fries then was 2.5 ounces, today it’s up to 8 ounces. A single meal can easily contain a day’s worth of calories.
Our perception of a serving size has been influenced by the current trend for super sizing everything. What hasn’t changed is the number of calories in a pound. It’s still 3500. The difference in a 7 ounce soda and a 12 ounce soda is only 150 but if we consume 100 additional calories a day we’ll gain 10 pounds in a year.
Today’s servings, especially in restaurants, are sometimes as much as 8 times greater than the USDA standard recommended serving sizes. The size of our dishes, glasses, and waistlines grew to accommodate all the extra pounds. To get a grip on what a single serving used to look like here’s a glimpse at what our mom ate in order to fit into her girdle!
| Food or beverage | 1950s | Current | ||
| French fries | 2.4 ounces | up to 7.1 ounces | ||
| Fountain soda | 7.0 ounces | 12 to 64 ounces | ||
| Hamburger patty | 1.6 ounces | up to 8.0 ounces | ||
| Hamburger sandwich | 3.9 ounces | 4.4 to 12.6 ounces | ||
| Muffin | 3.0 ounces | 6.5 ounces | ||
| Pasta serving | 1.5 cups | 3.0 cups | ||
| Chocolate bar | 1 ounce | 2.6 to 8 ounces | ||
