Portion sizes have become larger over the last 20 years, making it difficult for students to determine appropriate portions. To educate students on portion control, a demonstration was held comparing average portions sizes from 20 and current years for pizza, fries, and soda. Students were asked to guess the calorie differences between portions. No student correctly guessed the calorie differences, which were 350, 400, and 165 calories higher for pizza, fries, and soda now compared to 20 years ago. Students were surprised at the calorie amounts and said they would now pay closer attention to portion sizes when making food choices.

1. Portion Demonstration
Carly Lewis
October 9, 2014

2. Portion size is one thing that many students have difficulty with when they first get to
college. Many dining halls operate with an “all-you-care-to-eat” design which can be
overwhelming and exciting for students,
especially those who have never had this much
freedom with their food before. Educating
these students on the importance of portion
control is beneficial for everyone involved. It
helps students live a healthy lifestyle and avoid
overeating and weight gain. This also helps the dining facilities because when students take
what they know they can eat, there is less food wasted and less money spent on food that will
not be used.
Portion sizes are often difficult to understand because many people cannot accurately
visualize what one cup of food looks like or three ounces of another food. Creating a portion
size education demonstration for the guests of
the dining hall that was both visually appealing
and relevant was the main focus. One of the
main concerns is that the “normal” portion
sizes have increased over the years, which
makes it even more challenging for consumers
to select appropriate sizes. This portion demonstration utilized that information to display the
difference in average portion sizes during the last twenty years.

3. Pizza, french fries, and soda were selected for the display because they are among the
most commonly chosen foods in and out of the dining hall. An average portion from 20 years
ago was plated next to an average portion at this
time. Small signs were placed in front of each plate
that listed the portion size and calories for each dish.
The sign in front of the “now” portion also had the
calorie difference between the two listed. Guests
were asked to guess the difference in calories between the two, and then lift up the card flap to
see if they were close or not. They were then told an approximation of how much physical
activity would be required to work off the excess calories.
Pizza French Fries Soda
Actual Difference
(calories)
350 400 165
Guesses
65 300 200
100 250 100
200 350 160
200 360 75
75 300 100
160 200 200
300 300 150
210 200 100
80 210 120
70 275 200
100
*blue – within 50 calories of actual difference
No student was able to correctly guess the calorie difference between the two portion
sizes. Some of the guesses were close (within 50 calories) but most of them were not. The
students did a much better job determining the difference in calories when it came to the soda
but were very far off with the pizza and french fries. Many students were shocked to find out

4. just how many calories were in the slices of pizza
and some of them commented that they could
easily eat the larger portion without thinking much
of it. A few of the students continued to look at the
other portion sizes after they made their initial
guess. They stated that it wasn’t something that
they thought of when they made their choices, but that they would definitely pay more
attention to it now. Overall, the students found it helpful to see the food layed out and have
the opportunity to see the differences.