Foods we eat too much of- Part I

I just read this great article on MSN.com about portion distortion. It names 8 foods that Americans tend to overeat: pizza, salad dressing, ice cream, burgers, white rice, potato chips, soda, and orange juice. I would have to agree that the typical portion sizes for these items are often 2-4 times the recommended "serving sizes," which are as follows:
pizza- 1 small slice
salad dressing- 2 tbs.
ice cream- 1/2 cup
burger- 3 oz.
white rice- 1/2 cup
potato chips- 1 oz. (about a handful)
orange juice and soda- 8 fl oz.

I would add a few more items to this list of foods that people eat way too much of. In fact, after some thought, I would add lots of items to this list! In this first installment, I'll discuss three:

Cheese. A serving size is one ounce, which is the equivalent of one slice or 1/4 cup shredded. However, most foods that contain cheese have at least twice this amount. Cheese is often portrayed as being a good source of protein and calcium, and therefore relatively healthy. I disagree. While small amounts of cheese can be incorporated into a healthy diet, one serving per day is more than enough. Cheese may have some redeeming qualities, but it also contains a lot of saturated fat. Plus, there are better ways to get protein and calcium: low fat yogurt and milk are prime examples.

Bread. A serving of bread is equal to one slice of store-bought pre-sliced bread (think Wonder). So, when MyPyramid recommends 6 servings per day, that doesn't mean 6 6" grinder rolls or 6 Dunkin Donuts-sized bagels. Actually, a Dunkin Donuts bagel would provide 3 servings and about 300 calories. This New York Times article rounds up the caloric content of bagels from various eateries, some of which provide up to 7 bread servings. Other ways people eat too much bread: mindlessly noshing on bread before dinner and devouring sandwiches on oversized hard rolls or foot long grinders. I don't care who you are, no one needs a 12 inch sandwich!

Pasta. Do I even need to explain this one? A food guide pyramid serving is 1/2 cup, about the size of half a baseball. Even the serving size on the box (which provides 220 calories)is only one cup. It would barely fill a typical coffee mug. Does anyone eat that much?? Not even close. And here's a bit of news for you: whole wheat pasta has the same number of calories. It is more healthful, ounce for ounce, but it has the same potential to lead to weight gain if eaten in the quantities that people tend to serve themselves.

More to come in a future post! In case you're wondering, there ARE some foods that we don't eat enough of. Among them, vegetables, fruit,whole grains, and unsaturated fats.