activity 5c activity objectives: activity...

Positively Aging®/M.O.R.E.2007©The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

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The ‘Eyes’ Have It: Portion Distortion Stations Activity 5C

Activity Objectives:Using common, everyday items, students will be able to:

• Distinguish between serving size and portion size.• Estimate serving size by comparing food to common objects.• Determine serving size from food labels.• Use mathematical equations to calculate area.• Identify variables in an inquiry investigation.

Activity Description:After investigating seven stations, each with a different approach tohelping people estimate serving sizes, students will work in groups offour to devise an inquiry investigation with a minimum of ten test sub-jects to test the effectiveness of one or more of the strategies provided inthe station activities. They will report and analyze the data they collect.

Station 1: Shapely ServingsParticipants will be given 3 plastic plates with equal diameters, each containing one of three paper shapes (circle, square, and triangle) gluedto the center and 3 smaller plates with a paper shapes glued to the center. They will be asked to determine which one of the three shapeshas the largest surface area. Afterwards they will look at the circle on the larger plate and the same circle in the center of a smaller plate.Students will actually compute the area of each of the shapes at the conclusion of the activity to mathematically determine which shape hasthe greatest area. They will be asked to explain how their observationsmight help them learn portion control.

Station 2: Who Could Ever Fathom?In all traditional measuring systems, there are units based upon humanbody parts. In this activity, using a diagram of a human hand, studentswill learn to use their hands to estimate serving sizes of food. With practice, students will quickly learn how to estimate actual serving sizes, a skill which is basic to learning to control food intake.

Station 3: Why Weight?The participant looks at various common items and must match eachitem with the stated food quantity, much like the game show called the‘Price is Right’.

Station 4: How Much Did You Pour?The participant will be given three different shaped clear plastic glassesand asked to pour into each the same quantity of colored water. Theywill then measure the quantities and compare the volumes.

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Station 5: Quarts & Liters, Pints & MetersUsing food labels that report contents in the English and Metric system,students will generate equivalent ratios (proportions) to compare unitsfrom different measuring systems. They will also visually compare con-tainers of varying sizes in order to improve their ability to estimate sizes,a skill needed for portion control.

Station 6: Super Sizing – Not Such a Good Deal after AllThe participant will view a PowerPoint™ about “Portion Distortion andtake the quiz embedded in the slide show.

Station 7: Bean CountersParticipants will be given a plate full of pinto beans. After being told the portion size of pinto beans they will be asked to guess how manyportions are in the serving on the plate. They will then measure thequantity of beans to see how well they were able to distinguish portionsizes from serving sizes.

Culminating Activity: The Eyes Have It Inquiry InvestigationStudents will design an inquiry investigation using one of the tech-niques they have experienced in this station lab. The inquiry investiga-tion will measure the effectiveness of the technique in helping peopleexercise portion control.

Activity Background:Portion size versus serving size – are they really the same? Many peopleuse these terms interchangeably but there really is a difference. The concept behind this activity is based upon understanding the differencebetween portion size and serving size of foods today. So how are theterms portion and serving size defined? The National Institutes of Healthuses the following as a definition:

A “portion” can be thought of as the amount of a specific food you choose to eat for dinner, snack, or other eating occasion. Portions, of course can be bigger or smaller than the recommended food servings.

A “serving” is a unit of measure used to describe the amount of food recommended from each food group. It is the amount of food listed on the Nutrition Facts panel on packaged food or the amount of food recommended in the Food Guide Pyramid and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute

Serving size is used as a standard reference on the labeling of food pack-ages and on the Food Pyramid. Looking at the label on a food package


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sold in the grocery store, one can determine the number of calories, fat,carbohydrates, sodium, and other nutrients for one serving of that particular food.

The following image shows a typical food label.

Reading this label, one can deduce that thispackage contains 42 small crackers. However, aserving size is only 2 crackers. How many people will eat just 2 crackers? However, byreporting a small serving size on the label, thenumber of calories appears quite reasonable topeople watching their calorie intake.

What is interesting is that serving size asdefined by USDA is not necessarily the same asthe serving size as defined by FDA. The follow-ing represents the USDA statement about serving size labeling for the Food Pyramid.

Determination of Serving Sizes in the PyramidTo establish serving sizes for the food groups inthe Pyramid, four factors were considered:Typical portion sizes (from food consumptionsurveys), ease of use, nutrient content, and tradition (of use in previousfood guides). For some food groups, certain factors were given moreemphasis than others. Source: USDA

How much a person eats during a meal can be influenced by many factors. Some the factors reported in the literature include:


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• environment in which one eats• presence of other people • number of other people present

while eating• food accessibility• food color• room temperatures• room lighting• temperature of foods

• smell of food• time of food consumption• room sounds • shape of food• shape of serving containers• watching TV while eating• advertisements• package sizes

How much a person eats during a meal can be influenced by many factors. One of the factors to consider is the environment where oneeats. In a 20 year study from the US Army (1) soldiers who ate foodrations in the field lost weight, but when fed the same rations in a cafeteria setting, they ate as much as the control group which ate freshlyprepared food. The conclusion by the authors was that not only must

Nutrition FactsServing Size 2 crackers (114g)Servings per container about 21

Amount Per Serving

Calories 90 Calories from fat 30% Daily Value*

Total fat 3g 5%Saturated Fat 0.4g 0%Trans Fat 0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%Sodium 190mg 8%Total carbohydrate 18g 6%

Dietary Fiber 3g 4%Sugars 3g

Protein 2g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0%Calcium 4% • Iron 4%*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:

Calories: 2,000 2,500

Total Fat Less than 65g 80g Sat fat Less than 20g 25gCholesterol Less than 300mg 300mgSodium Less than 2,400mg 2,400mgTotal carbohydrate 300mg 375mgDietary Fiber 25g 30g Calories per gram:Fat 9 • Carbohydrate 4 • Protein 4


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one consider the food but also the setting to understand and controlfood intake. Yet another study by the military supports the idea thatenvironment may be a factor in food intake and choice. (2) In a smallstudy based in a hospital, it was found that people who consumed theirmeals in the presence of other people and sitting around a table had ahigher caloric intake than those laying in bed or eating at the side oftheir bed. (3) Where you eat may have an impact on how much you eatand how long your take to eat. An observational study using customersat three different locations - the worksite, fast-food setting, or a moder-ately priced restaurant – was done to see if there was a correlationbetween eating duration and group size. The results indicate that evenin a fast-food setting where duration is usually smaller than in a sit-down restaurant, group size had a significant yet small correlation onduration of the meal. (4) A review of articles from several journals infersthat manipulation of ambient factors such as the number of people pres-ent, food accessibility, eating locations, food color, room temperatures,room lighting, temperature of foods, smell of food, time of consumption,and room sounds may as a whole or individually be used therapeutical-ly to alter food intake. The conclusion is that further research should bedone. (5) In another study, environmental factors such as food’s visibilityor convenience were looked at to understand the influence these factorshave on the consumption of food. The study concludes that if food wasmore accessible (visible), such as being placed on one’s desk, the consumption was large. More interestingly it was noted that food whichwas not conveniently located was perceived to have been eaten lessthan it actually was. (6) Anticipation of food quality through appearanceand odor can be one ambient factor affecting food intake. In a studyusing people from the Netherlands, it was found that if people per-ceived the food to be creamy and favorable, their initial bite was largerthan if the perception was not as favorable. (7) Appearance of foodquantities can influence food intake as well. In other studies (8) Shapehad an affect in allowing people to estimate volume of food. In the samestudy, the shape of a glass determined the perception of the amount ofliquid poured.

Still another factor influencing food intake, and therefore caloricintake, involves what people are doing while eating. Several studiesaddress the food intake of people watching TV. One study of college students noted that meal frequency and energy intake increased with TV watching . (9) In another study, it was found that in both TV watching and listening to a recorded story, food intake was greater thanin the control group with out environmental stimuli. In other words itwasn’t just the TV that caused increased intake but that environmentalfactors were responsible. (10) In another study, 2546 secondary schoolstudents who watched approximately 22 hours of TV per week, it wasfound that their average energy consumption was approximately 653 kJper hour while watching TV and eating snack foods. (11) Lastly there is

another influence that TV has on our youth that is related to foodintake. This involves the effect of TV advertisement on food intake.Obese and non-obese children were exposed to food advertisements.Obese children were able to recognize significantly more food advertise-ments and this significantly correlated with the amount of food eatenafter exposure, resulting in increased consumption. (12)

Taking all of these factors into consideration, one has to look at the overall change in the quantity of food being sold to the public today andthe setting in which it is served as compared to twenty years ago.Package sizes are definitely larger today than in earlier years and mostpeople tend to eat a whole snack package without reading the numberof servings it represents. One study set out to determine how portionsize of packaged snack affected energy intake of the snack and of thesubsequent meal. The results from this study “demonstrated that short-term energy intake increases with increasing package size of a snack.These data suggest that the availability of large packages of energy-dense snacks may be one of the environmental influences associatedwith excess energy intake. ” (13)

With all of the above in mind it is not a far stretch to understand whypeople overall are fatter today than they were twenty years ago.

Activity Materials:Station 1: Shapely Servings (Per Station)

• 3 large solid plastic plates • 1 small solid plastic plate (of the same color) • Blackline masters of shape forms • Metric ruler • Calculator (optional) • Glue stick• Scissors

Station 2: Who Could Ever Fathom? (Per student)• 1 copy Student Data Page

Station 3: Why Weight? (Per Station)• 7 Stand up signs (letter size sheet folded in half) labeled as

follows: 1 pancake, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, 1 ounce of cheese, 1 ounce of cheese, 3 ounces meat, a half a cup of ice cream, 1 cup of broccoli.

• 1 golf ball• 1 CD• 2 dominoes• 1 deck of playing cards• 1 tennis ball• 1 incandescent light bulb• 4 dice


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Station 4: How Much Did You Pour? (per station)*Note: Be sure not to disclose the number of ounces in the containers.

• 1 clear plastic solo cup (9oz)• 1 clear plastic tumbler (9oz)• 1 clear plastic champagne flute (9oz)• 1 20 oz plastic cup (any color)• 1 bottle of food coloring• 1 unmarked glass carafe• 1 measuring cup• Water

Station 5: Quarts & Liters, Pints & Meters (Per station)• 1 empty 2 liter soda bottle• 1 empty 2 quart milk container• Food labels and/or food containers with labels reporting both

metric and English measurements of the contents

Station 6: Super Sizing – Not Such a Good Deal after All (Per station)• Computer with online access to Portion Distortion PowerPoint™

(link provided on Student Data Page)• 1 copy Student Data Sheet

Station 7: Bean Counters (Per Station)• 2 cups of pinto beans per group• Measuring cup• Paper disposable bowl• Large plastic plate• 1 scale or balance

Culminating Activity: The Eyes Have It Inquiry Investigation (Per station)Materials needed for student investigations – these should be the sameor similar to the materials provided in the station activities.

Activity Management Suggestions:Station 1: Shapely ServingsCut out all shapes on the black line masters making sure there is a com-plete set for the station – 2 circles, one triangle, and one square. Centereach form on a plate (3 large and one small) and glue them onto theplates using a glue stick.

Station 2: Who Could Ever Fathom? (Per student)Follow directions on Student Data Page.

Station 3: Why Weight?Fold paper so there are 7 signs. Place the prop items at a counter or tabletop in view of everyone. Make sure the signs are off to the side beforestarting the activity.


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Station 4: How Much Did You Pour?Fill the 20 oz cups with water and add a drop of food coloring.

Station 5: Quarts & Liters, Pints & MetersMix water and food coloring sufficient for filling both containers labeled1 Quart and 1 Liter. Set up this station near a sink or place a large tub atthe station for emptying water.

Station 6: Super Sizing – Not Such a Good Deal after AllYou will need a computer to show the Portion Distortion PowerPoint™or to connect to the website so students can take the interactive quiz.

Station 7: Bean CountersMeasure out 2 cups of beans for each group and put them in a paperbowl. (1/2 cup of dry beans equals one serving size equivalent of cookedpinto beans.)Culminating Activity: The Eye’s Have It Inquiry InvestigationIf the station labs are not conducted in class, students can be given thebackground material found in the Teacher Page of this activity and candevise their investigation based upon the background information. Thisbackground can also be given to students as they research their ownbackground information.

Modifications:1. Have students work in small groups with

mixed abilities paired together.2. Provide calculators for math calculations.3. Allow more time to complete activities.

Extensions:1. Students will be asked to come up with suggestions about how they

can control their portions at home and when they eat out so that they are more in line with suggested serving sizes. Students will get into small groups and brainstorm their ideas. They will make a poster presentation to the whole group. Some ideas that teachers might use to get them started are as follows:

At home:• If your food comes in a package that holds multiple servings, take

ONE serving and put it on a plate. Put the package away and eat only the single serving.

• Don’t serve food “family style.” Make up each plate in the kitchenand put extra food away.

• Freeze food you don’t plan on serving right away in individual meal-sized containers.


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Eating Out:• Avoid all-you-can-eat buffets.• Order an appetizer as a main meal, ask for a half portion or share

your dinner.• Ask for half your meal to be wrapped up before you start eating.

Take it home for later.• Stop eating when you feel full.• Only order large beverages if you chose calorie free drinks like

diet soda, unsweetened tea or water with lemon.• Do not “super-size” anything.• Choose foods lower in calories such as a salad without dressing,

grilled chicken, diet soda or fat-free milk. • Order a smaller portion such as a child size.

2. Students are asked to bring to class some food product packages of items they normally eat at home. These products will be placed into categories such as entrees, beverages and snacks. Students will then compare and contrast the serving and portion sizes of these productsas well as calories and nutritional content.

Activity References Used:(1) Hirsch ES. Kramer FM Meiselman HL. (2005). Effects of food

attributes and feeding environment on acceptance, consumption and body weight: lessons learned in a twenty-year program of military ration research US Army Research (Part 2). Appetite 44(1), 33-45.

(2) de Graaf C. Kramer FM. Meiselman HL. Lesher LL. Baker-Fulco C. Hirsch ES. Warber J. (2005) Food acceptability in field studies with US army men and women: relationship with food intake and food choice after repeated exposures. Appetite. 44(1):23-31.

(3) Edwards JS. Hartwell HJ. (2004). A comparison of energy intake between eating positions in a NHS hospital—a pilot study. Appetite. 43(3):323-5.

(4) Bell R. Pliner PL. (2003). Time to eat: the relationship between the number of people eating and meal duration in three lunch settings.Appetite. 41(2):215-8.

(5) Stroebele N. De Castro JM. (2004). Effect of ambience on food intake and food choice. Nutrition 20(9). 821-38.

(6) Painter, J.E. Wansink B. Hieggelke J.B. (2002) How visibility and convenience influence candy consumption. Appetite. 38, 237-238.

(7) de Wijk RA. Polet IA. Engelen L. van Doorn RM. Prinz JF. (2004) Amount of ingested custard dessert as affected by its color, odor, and texture. Physiology & Behavior. 82(2-3), 397-403.

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(8) Wansink, Brian and Van Ittersum, Koert.(2003) Bottoms Up! The Influence of Elongation on Pouring and Consumption Volume. Journal of Consumer Research: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly, 30, Issue 3, 455-63.

(9) Stroebele N. de Castro JM. (2004) Television viewing is associated with an increase in meal frequency in humans. Appetite. 42(1), 111-3.

(10) Bellisle F. Dalix AM. Slama G. (2004) Non food-related environmental stimuli induce increased meal intake in healthy women: comparison of television viewing versus listening to a recorded story in laboratory settings. Appetite. 43(2). 175-80.

(11) Van den Bulck J. Van Mierlo J. (2004). Energy intake associated withtelevision viewing in adolescents, a cross sectional study. Appetite. 43(2) 181-4.

(12) Halford JC. Gillespie J. Brown V. Pontin EE. Dovey TM. (2004) Effect of television advertisements for foods on food consumption in children. Appetite. 42(2),221-5.

(13) Rolls BJ. Roe LS. Kral TV. Meengs JS. Wall DE. (2004) Increasing the portion size of a packaged snack increases energy intake in men and women. Appetite. 42(1), 63-9.

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