Serving up the truth

Serving+up+the+truth

Tifany Chu, Reporter

Serving sizes are commonly found on the side of a food package, near the nutrition facts. You might have seen them before, unless you are like most of the population who enjoy eating without the heavy hands of calories pushing you down deeper into the arms of obesity. However, serving sizes are not like what they seem, they are often misleading and completely different from what you think they are. Serving sizes are put there by corporations to make you feel worse, not only about yourself but of your friends too.

But what exactly are serving sizes and why do I care so much about them? Let me hit you with some servingly disgusting facts. What’s the serving size of oreos? Oh honey, it isn’t 10-12 that most of you might stuff your face with. Its 2 cookies. let me repeat. 2 COOKIES. Thats the number corporations and the government recommand you to eat per day. Now, if there are let say 45 oreos in a typical package of family sized oreos, then does Nabisco recommend you to share it with 22.5 (1/2 accounting for those fake friends or those who “will only have one”). This is disgusting. Nabisco is just playing games with our hearts and our stomachs.

Let me dish you another calorie free serving of shock. The serving size of most cereals is 3/4 cups. By cup, these corporations don’t mean like a goblet. Cup meaning a standard  measuring cup, making the serving size of cereal close to a handful. A HANDFUL. Can you imagine just eating a handful of cereal for breakfast. From experience I know I eat about the serving size just as I’m pouring the cereal and walking to the fridge to grab milk. I’m appalled and slightly disgusted with my eating habits.

Serving sizes range depend on the food that you are consuming. If you are consuming something unhealthy like potatoes shaped like a “chip” in a can, then the chances are the serving size is disgustingly small and amount of calories very huge. However, if you are eating something healthy, much like a raw corn cob fresh from the Iowan fields, then the serving size may vary but the amount of calories in it is very low. It’s all about making better choices in life and consuming “unhealthy” foods in moderation.

This should serve as a wake-up call to everyone. Yes, calories are a thing and yes, calories apply to you too. Having a high metabolism can only take you so far. One too many serving sizes can cause you to increase in one too many body sizes.