How often have you fallen for an ad asking you to buy more ? Buy 2 ltr COLA for 30% less ? Or Get cola and dessert free with every large pizza? Or Buy 3 packs of biscuit and get one FREE ? You get the drift, we have all fallen prey to these seemingly enticing offers.
The large burger, large thick shake, large fries, larger colas have all manifested into the large clothing size. This largeness has gradually come to reflect in our waist sizes! and caught us unaware.
It all started with smart marketing to manipulate the consumer .. “wow..the bigger bottle of cola is more cost effective than the smaller one.” The bigger bottle was supposed to last longer but actually it did not and rather we drank more! And slowly we got so habituated to it that we kept guzzling down big bottles subconsciously all at once.
Our minds have been tricked into believing that “bigger is better”. Our natural hunger and satiety signals are being neglected, curbed and crushed. We are being programmed to eat LARGE
Here are some stats that show how food size has evolved over the years!!
| 20 years Ago | Today | ||||
| Grams | Calories | Grams | Calories | Difference | |
| Cheese burger | 333 | 590 | 257 | ||
| French fries | 2.4 oz | 210 | 6.9 | 610 | 400 |
| Soda | 6.5oz | 85 | 20 | 250 | 165 |
What is more unfortunate is that, there has been no proportional increase in energy output to offset this excess input. In fact, over the years we are becoming more sedentary
More effort required…
We know that to achieve balance , both sides have to weigh the same. Hence, to achieve and maintain a normal body weight, energy intake should be equal to expenditure
So, while we are enjoying the increased food portions, we need to put in more efforts to burn off the excess
For e.g. – In a 70 kg person
To burn 257 calories = walk at 3.5mph for 1 hour or stationary cycling for 30 mins
To burn 400 calories = ride a bike for 1 hr and 10 min or jump a rope for half an hour
To burn 165 calories = perform simple yoga for 1 hour or low impact aerobics for half an hour
Only way out is to reboot your body, don’t fall for the marketing gimmicks and limit your portion sizes or ensure you find time and the energy to burn off those extra large fries through physical activity.
Did you order that extra large pizza over the weekend ? or did you cycle for an hour ?
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Stay healthy with eKincare – your personal health manager!
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– Dr. Pooja, Senior Nutritionist @eKincare.com
