Restaurants aren’t the only places guilty of portion creep. Follow the recipes for a home-cooked meal in the latest version of America’s favorite cookbook and you may find yourself serving up more calories than ever before.

The findings come from an eye-opening study by Brian Wansink, PhD, a nutriton expert at Cornell University, who tracked the evolution of 18 recipes published in all seven editions of Joy of Cooking over the past 70 years. All but one of the recipes significantly increased the number of calories they contain, he found, averaging 77 extra calories per serving, a 40 percent increase. Part of the jump is the result of ingredient changes (more sugar and fat, typically). Part is due to larger estimated serving sizes. The same amount of chicken gumbo that yielded 14 servings in previous editions, for example, now yields only 10 servings.

The findings were announced, appropriately, at the annual meeting of the Obesity Society. They also appear i the current issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

A related study, this one conducted several years ago by Lisa Young, an adjunct nutrition professor at New York University, also spotted examples of portion size creep in America’s classic cookbook. In one example, the same brownie recipe that in the 1960s and 1970s yielded 30 individual brownies by the 1997 edition was divided up into only 15. The serving size had doubled.

Joy of Cooking isn’t the only culprit, of course. The book just happens to be the classic that researchers turn to as an example of a growing trend. But the fact that even servings of home-cooked meal recipes are bigger than they need or should be points out how pervasive the problem of over-sized portions has become.  Resisting the trend isn’t easy. One useful tip: start with a smaller-than-average serving. After you’re finished, take a moment to think about whether you’re still hungry. If not, get up from the table.

© 2009 PDQhealth

Tags: calories, Joy of Cooking, portion size