Big meals weigh on obesity
11th October 2006, 10:30 WST
It’s probably the biggest steak in Perth. And if you like your meat Fred Flintstone style and can finish the lot you’ll get your photograph on a wall of fame.
But, at a gut-busting 1kg, is the T-bone at Hippo Creek in Scarborough a worrying sign in a world where bigger portions are turning out to be a cunning contributor to the obesity epidemic?
Nutritionists certainly think so.
Margaret Hays, WA spokeswoman for the Dietitians Association of Australia, said it was part of a tragic trend which incited people to overeat at a time when the nation was grappling with obesity.
A growing number of restaurants have meals so massive they are nearly the entire daily kilojule allowance for an average person and double the recommended fat intake.
Just like at a fast food store, customers at Hog’s Breath Cafe can super-size their meals for just $6 to get the mega cut, which is 33 per cent bigger.
“Obesity is not going away and having access to these kinds of meals is only encouraging people to think big,” Ms Hays said.
“(People should) enjoy themselves sure, have a glass of wine, a nice meal, but you don’t need to go away feeling absolutely over-full to have had a good time. It’s going too far.”
Ms Hays said the human body was built for meals of a reasonable size. Massive meals put pressure on the kidneys and put the body in “feast mode”, making it more likely to store fat.
A US study showed portion sizes increased dramatically between 1977 and 1996. The average hamburger was 23 per cent bigger, an order of chips 16 per cent bigger and the size of a soft drink had jumped 50 per cent.
Hippo Creek co-owner and chef Gareth Simpson said about five customers ordered the 1kg steak each night and most managed to finish it.
He said in the US and in South Africa it was popular to offer challenging meals as a drawcard. But it was up to customers to choose what they wanted. The restaurant offered steaks of all sizes, from 200g to the 1kg T-bone.
Peta Rasdien
Big meals weigh on obesity
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