Have you noticed the shrinking restaurant meal?

Who doesn’t love to go out to eat?  In the past, the portion sizes at restaurants were so large, I rarely could finish the meal and would often ask for the doggy bag.  Sometimes the portions were so large, that I could only eat half of what was served.  This week, my husband and I ate dinner at a restaurant in Richmond.  The Mediterranean Chicken I ordered was delicious but I noticed the serving size was actually normal and not the oversized piece of chicken I often would be served.  Needless to say, there were no leftovers to take home.  The Taste of Home recently wrote an article, Restaurants Are Shrinking Portion Sizes Right Now – Here’s Why.

Have you looked at the shrinking sizes of items you buy at the grocery store?  Many customers are noting shrinkflation as the number of ounces or the amount of food in a package is shrinking.  But what is not shrinking is the price.  Well restaurants are experiencing the same thing.  The candy bars we buy used to come in packages of 6 and now it has shrunk to 5.  The cheese sticks we buy have more and more empty space at the end of the stick as the cheese is shrinking.  Yelp reports thar more and more consumers are mentioning inflation in their reviews of businesses including restaurants.  And for the first-time restaurant reviewers are now commenting on “shrinkflation” in their reviews. 

Have you noticed the higher prices at restaurants, bars and Fast-Food places?

More and more restaurant customers are noticing higher prices and shrinking portion sizes at restaurants.  Restaurant Business reports Restaurant Menu Prices Inflation Highest in 40 Years.  And this article from February 10, 2022 was reporting on increases in January and prices have risen since then.  In January alone, prices for food eaten away from home in restaurants, bars and in cafeterias “increased 6.4% in January over the past year”.  Why the increase?  Not just food, but materials and labor costs have increased and these costs are being passed on to the customer. 

NBC reports that Prices for meals away from home have increased for nine consecutive months. 

Have you noticed the smaller portion sizes?

Because of the higher prices, many restaurants have been shrinking their portion sizes.  Many reviewers on Yelp noted this is happening at the more affordable restaurants serving items like hot dogs, pizza, hamburgers but also at Italian, Chinese and seafood restaurants.  One lady (makaveli) on Twitter commented: “Is it just me or are food portions at restaurants getting smaller?”  A guy (dalibali) wrote on Twitter, “Is it just me or are sandwich sizes and restaurant portions getting smaller in a lot of places?”

Is there any benefit to smaller portions?

WebMD says smaller portion sizes may be better for your health.  They state, “If your portions are like a majority of restaurants’ serving sizes in the United States, then they most likely exceed the USDA’s recommendation for fat, saturated fat, sodium and calories per meal”.  The smaller portion sizes can actually lead to a healthier lifestyle.  Reducing portion sizes can also reduce food waste.  How many times have you been to restaurants and seen all the food people have left on their plates?  With the smaller portion size at the restaurant I ate at, there was very little food being returned uneaten and my plate had no leftover food as the portion sizes were perfect for me.  Interesting that CDC notes the more food you are served, the more food you are likely to eat.  In Do Increased Portion Sizes Affect How Much We Eat?, CDC states, “Short-term studies show that people eat more when they are confronted with larger portion sizes”.  A blog post noted many health benefits of smaller portion sizes.  “Eating large portions can lead to indigestion and discomfort and in some cases also lead to sugar imbalance in the body.  Eating smaller portions also helps with weight loss, especially in countries with higher obesity rates like the USA (36.20%). 

How do adults respond to differing portion sizes?  A study by Rolls found that the bigger the portion, the more adults ate.  When given a large portion of macaroni and cheese, adults ate 30% more than when given the smallest portion.  Surprisingly, these adults reported feeling just as full and satisfied after eating the smaller portion.  

Livestrong notes some  Benefits of Portion Control Beyond Weight Loss:

1.       Better control of your blood sugar:  when you eat, the carbs in the food you eat, turns into glucose in your blood.  Your body needs glucose for fuel.  But when you eat large amounts of food, your blood glucose levels quickly increase. 

2.       Smaller portion can increase feeling full and help with weight control – When you eat smaller portions your body is more likely to burn up those calories for fuel.  When you eat large portions, the extra calories are stored as fat. 

3.       Better digestion – ever eat a large meal like the Thanksgiving meal and you are so stuffed afterwards?  Or, you eat at a restaurant and only later do you feel like you have overeaten?  Eating too much can lead to heartburn and feeling bloated.

Check out the serving sizes when you go out to eat.

The next time you eat out, check out the portion size.  Is it the same as usual or is the serving size smaller?  The piece of chicken in my Mediterranean Chicken was about 4 ounces.  I have had pieces of chicken in restaurant meals that were 6-8 ounces.  In fact, I have eaten at restaurants that served a half chicken as a serving for one person.  What is a Healthy Amount of Chicken Breast to Eat?  Believe it or not a healthy serving of chicken is just 3 ounces, about the size of a deck of cards.  The next time you eat out, take a look at the serving of meat or chicken on your plate and note if it is bigger than a deck of cards.  

A normal serving of chicken or steak is 3 ounces.  Most restaurants serve a much larger portion of chicken or steak. Source: Timeinc.net

So, yes, many restaurants are shrinking their serving sizes.  But this may actually be better for your health.  What have you noticed?  Have you noticed any restaurant meals or items that seem smaller than they used to be? 

Sources:  Restaurant Business , Restaurant Menu Prices Inflation Highest in 40 Years, NBC reports , Yelp , lady , guy , WebMD , Do Increased Portion Sizes Affect How Much We Eat? , blog post , study ,  Benefits of Portion Control Beyond Weight Loss , What is a Healthy Amount of Chicken Breast to Eat? Image Sources:  Restaurant , Portion Distortion , Serving size

Healthy foods that are cheap

Anyone who has been to the grocery store lately, knows the price of food is getting higher and higher.  How can you save some money when grocery shopping while still eating healthy?  WebMD has a good article, Cheap, Healthy Foods.  What are some foods they recommend? 

1. Beans/Lentils – These are cheap and they do provide some good nutrition including protein and fiber.  Beans are low in fat and add the minerals iron and potassium to your diet.  Serve them over some rice, add beans like black beans or pinto beans to a salad, enjoy a 3-bean salad, or enjoy them as a side dish.  My husband buys a canned bean medley by Delallo that we like as a side dish.
2. Eggs – these have gone up in price but are still a bargain and an excellent source of nutrition.  Each egg not only provides 6 grams of protein, but the highest quality food protein.  So many Americans lack vitamin D in their diet and an easy way to add some D is eggs.  They also add vitamin A and choline to your day.  Worried about cholesterol?  They now say you can enjoy an egg a day and it won’t harm your cholesterol levels.  In summer, enjoy a hard-boiled egg on a salad or make some egg salad for sandwiches.  When scrambling eggs for your family, add some cheese to add in some calcium which many kids and adults are also lacking in their diets.
3. Oats – we love oatmeal for breakfast and we buy a large box of the old-fashioned oatmeal.  But if you prefer the instant oatmeal, choose the one with less added sugar.  Oats can also be added to meatloaf, casseroles and fruit cobblers.  My daughter makes a lower calorie pecan pie that uses oats to thicken the pie instead of so much corn syrup.  Oats are a great source of fiber and adds a serving of whole grains to your day.  The box usually says, “Good Source of Fiber”.  Did you ever notice on the oatmeal box it says “Heart Healthy Oats”?  That is because the type of fiber in oatmeal does lower your cholesterol.  WebMD also notes that eating oatmeal can “boost your immune system”.  Most people know plants provide those healthy antioxidants and oats are also a source of antioxidants which helps protect your cells from damage.
4. Potatoes – my favorite.  When in Pennsylvania recently, the restaurant we ate at offered both baked sweet potatoes or a baked potato as a side.  Choosing French fries from a fast-food restaurant isn’t so healthy but baked potatoes are a good choice.  Potatoes provide vitamin C, fiber and the mineral potassium.  Fiber can help lower your cholesterol and the potassium helps lower blood pressure.  As a change, slice up a white potato, drizzle with some olive oil and then bake them.  Sweet potatoes are especially healthy as they are loaded with vitamin A as well as vitamin C.  We often put a sweet potato in the microwave and enjoy it with some cinnamon, butter and a little brown sugar.
5. Popcorn – a cheap snack food but a healthy choice if you aren’t eating the movie popcorn.  Popcorn is whole grain and a good source of fiber.  If you are out and choosing a snack, buy a bag of SkinnyPOP.  Low in calories and full of good nutrition.
6. Whole-grain pasta.  We love Italian meals and my husband makes some delicious meatballs.  But we aren’t a fan of 100% whole-grain pasta.  What we do is use mostly the regular pasta noodles but do add some whole grain noodles.  Next time you are in the grocery store, look for some whole grain pasta such as spaghetti noodles, penne or macaroni.  Try adding some to your regular pasta.
7. Bananas -another favorite of mine.  I eat a banana almost every day.  I like to eat a banana for some energy before a morning walk or workout.  One medium banana has only 105 calories and adds some vitamin C, B-6 and fiber to your day.  Bananas also add that important mineral potassium which as stated above, helps lower blood pressure.  Bring a banana with you as a snack or add it to a smoothie.
8. Peanut butter – always a fave of kids but adults too.  Peanut butter does have some fat in it but it is a heart healthy fat as it is mostly unsaturated.  Besides the typical PB&J, try some peanut butter on celery sticks or apple slices.
9. Frozen Vegetables – fresh is good but frozen veggies are also a healthy choice.  Some people think frozen foods are not as healthy but frozen vegetables offer the same nutrition as fresh.  And they are less likely to go to waste as you can use just what you need for a meal and put the rest back in the freezer.
10. Bagged Greens – look for spinach, kale, collard or turnip greens.  Did you know the darker the green, the healthier the vegetable?  Lettuce is not so healthy but the darker greens like spinach are loaded with nutrients such as folate, vitamin A, some C and the minerals iron, magnesium and some calcium.  Try them in a salad or sauté them.  

In addition to the WebMD tips, here are some other ways to save money on groceries:

·         Buy generic or the store’s own brands.  We buy the grocery store brand of microwave popcorn and actually like it better than name brands.

·         Look for manager mark-downs.  This is especially helpful when meat, poultry or fish is marked down

·         Use coupons.  My husband earns loyalty points at our grocery store that can lead to a free item like a carton of milk.  Publix often offers BOGO – buy one get one free on a number of items.

·         And grow your own food.  One doesn’t even need a garden.  On our deck I grow parsley, chives, rosemary and green peppers.  So easy to go out to the deck and cut some chives to put on a baked potato or “harvest” a green pepper off of the green pepper plant.  One of my daughters grew some leaf lettuce this year and really enjoyed it on sandwiches and in salads.

·         Stock up when staples are on sale. 

What ideas can you add for saving on your grocery bill?  Share your ideas so we all can save some at the grocery store.

Try this easy Oven Baked Potato Slices recipe.  As the blog author states, the recipe is “too easy -too simple”.   This is a heart healthy recipe as it uses olive oil

Oven Baked Potato Slices

•  Russet potatoes 
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Black cracked pepper

Note:  instead of black pepper, you can also add rosemary, everything bagel seasoning, paprika powder, chili flakes – your choice.

Directions:

1. Peel potatoes. Wash them.  Pat dry.  Slice potatoes thinly and evenly.
2. Place potato slices on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.  Add the olive oil, salt, cracked pepper on top.
3. Mix the potatoes around until they are all coated.  Fold one side of the parchment paper over and swirl them around.
4. Lay potato slices flat on the parchment paper without overlapping each other.
5. Bake the potato slices at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until golden. 

Hint:  go to the blog site as the author has pictures for each step and some FAQs.

Sources:  Cheap, Healthy Foods , Delallo , SkinnyPOP , save money on groceries , grow your own food , Oven Baked Potato Slices Image sources:  Bean medley , Save money on groceries , Baked potato slices