Cookbooks Encourage Portion Distortion

Home is the place where we have the most influence over what we feed ourselves and our family. The recession is also forcing us to eat at home more often. This can be good news for you and your family's health. The media is focusing on the large portions served at our restaurants but portion distortion is also happening in our homes due to increase in the calorie content of recipes in popular cookbooks. A research study conducted by the Annuals of Internal Medicine analyzed the changes in classic recipes, over a seventy-year period, from a popular cooking books. Per the WSJ "Evolving Recipes Raise Calorie Counts" 2/17/09, the study concluded that the majority of recipes contain 40% increase in calories per serving ! The actual study can be found at http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/150/4/291. Think about making deliberate efforts to reduce the calories in your family's favorite recipes. Think about substituting the butter, meat and the cheese with healthier alternatives. Also, start off the meal with smaller than usual portions and add a fresh salad and vegetable.