 compared to 22cm (8.6in) in the Seventies. 18 Meals have really got out of proportion since the 1970s - wine glasses are much bigger now than they were then Credit: Getty 18 A dinner plate was six centimetres smaller on average fifty years ago Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd 18 And our appetites have expanded to fill the plates, too Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd And our appetites have expanded to fill it, with the average size of many of our meals, from fast food to restaurant and supermarket choices, increasing by 138 per cent in the same period. Similarly, back then a standard wine glass held 200ml. Today some glasses hold 250ml — a third of a bottle — and the bigger glass makes us gulp it down faster. Health experts believe many of us now have 'portion distortion' and our waistlines are paying the price for our regular overeating. Researchers at Cambridge University found we can cut around 279 calories a day, roughly 12 to 16 per cent of the fat we get from food, if we avoid overfilling our plates. But how do you stop supersizing your meals? Here is our handy guide to what proper portion sizes should look like by comparing them to everyday objects . . . 18 You should have one piece of baguette that's the length of your hand Credit: Supplied 18 You should have 5g of butter or spread - the size of one dice Credit: Supplied 18 Your cereal should be as big as three poker chips Credit: Supplied 18 And you should only have 20g of chocolate - the size of four postage stamp-sized squares Credit: Supplied 18 Your cooked meat should be as big as one deck of cards Credit: Supplied 18 And have one piece of fruit that's the size of a baseball Credit: Supplied 18 You should have only 30g of hard cheese, as big as a smal){kind=link}
BEATING the bulge isn’t just about watching what you eat – but how much food you are scoffing too.
In the past 50 years, the size of an average dinner plate has grown six centimetres – it is now 28cm (11in) compared to 22cm (8.6in) in the Seventies.
And our appetites have expanded to fill it, with the average size of many of our meals, from fast food to restaurant and supermarket choices, increasing by 138 per cent in the same period.
Similarly, back then a standard wine glass held 200ml.
Today some glasses hold 250ml – a third of a bottle – and the bigger glass makes us gulp it down faster.