Obesity has become the number one issue in contemporary US nutrition magazines as it has been increasing across ages and educational backgrounds in a very fast rate. One of the associated causes of this problem is the big portion sizes provided in restaurants all over the US. According to researchers, people have been found to eat more if their plate's portion is larger than usual; and the fact is that the more one eats the more weight he or she will gain if the amount of exercise conducted is kept constant. Since the human stomach needs approximately twenty minutes before signaling to the brain that is full and we should stop eating, people continue eating the food in their plate just because it happens to be there. If restaurants continue to increase their portions so as to increase their demand, people will continue consuming more and more calories and the essence of eating a "normal" portion will soon be in the past.

If one considers that the usual 12 ounce soda cup has recently reached the 20 ounce size, it is not difficult to understand why bigger food portions have directly influenced people's understanding on what should be considered normal or reasonable and what not. From the bread slices to the French-fries one orders at a local take away, increased portions have led consumers to demand to receive more for the price they pay. If one is served the older portions he or she will immediately compare it to the new increased size a restaurant now serves and this will seem tremendously small to fulfill anyone's hunger. In fact, if you serve a five-year old the portion of ice-cream he or she should be served you will probably have to deal with their whining as the smaller scoop size will seem small and inappropriate to cover their need.

But this ever-growing problem has to do with the lack of receiving the proper nutritional education from early childhood. If people knew which portions should be enough to cover their daily nutritional needs and they were instructed on how to combine food categories, measure portion sizes, and balancing their meals, the obesity problem would have never risen to its current alarming state.

Thus, next time you exit your favorite ice-cream store holding another of its legendary gigantic cones on your hand trying to fulfill your need for something sweet, you should remember that the kid's portion would be more than enough of such a treat and would save you at least an extra 800 calories. Being aware of how increased portions can destroy your silhouette in a rapid rate is the most important step in fighting the problem of obesity before you have to change your wardrobe size. Eat wisely and stop when you feel that your stomach is actually full. You can always take the rest of your portion home in the doggy bag and serve yourself the next day.