# Ridiculous serving sizes **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 24, 2007, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-serving-sizes/401529 "2007-04-24T23:26:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-serving-sizes/401529/41 "2007-04-26T20:17:49Z")
My roommate bought some Special K waffles or something and on the box it proudly proclaimed “only 60 calories!” but the serving size is 3 waffles which is 180 calories. I found that odd. Also 1/4 cup of the waffle syrup we have is something ridiculous like 230 calories. I don’t even want to know what’s up with that. But I agree with the chips thing. I mean, think about those snack-sized bags you get from vending machines and whatnot. That’s a serving and if you eat one serving out of a giant bag you should be eating about that many chips…not that I ever do that. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-serving-sizes/401529/42 "2007-04-26T20:25:53Z")
I think another thing about the labels is they aren’t counting on how many people are cooking for one. For example, if I make soup for lunch for my husband and me, a can of soup is 2 servings. If it’s just for me, it is 1 large serving. If we had a kid, it would probably be 2.5 servings. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-serving-sizes/401529/43 "2007-04-26T21:38:17Z")
[QUOTE=Lord Il Palazzo] Wow! You’re right. I just checked the label on a microwavable bowl of soup and one of Chef Boyardee pasta-like material. Each of the bowls contains two servings. Who is going to eat half of a microwavable bowl of soup and save the rest for later? [/QUOTE] I noticed that in the directions for a soup that’s one of the choices on the nutrisystem menu (which doesn’t list weights of the food items either). I assume I will be quite hungry on their plan, and I really don’t expect to “refrigerate the unused portion”. ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-serving-sizes/401529/44 "2007-04-27T00:27:32Z")
[QUOTE=raz] My roommate bought some Special K waffles or something and on the box it proudly proclaimed “only 60 calories!” but the serving size is 3 waffles which is 180 calories. I found that odd. Also 1/4 cup of the waffle syrup we have is something ridiculous like 230 calories. I don’t even want to know what’s up with that. But I agree with the chips thing. I mean, think about those snack-sized bags you get from vending machines and whatnot. That’s a serving and if you eat one serving out of a giant bag you should be eating about that many chips…not that I ever do that. [/QUOTE] Walden Farms syrup and jelly is excellent and zero calories > **[Walden Farms | Healthy Swaps for Zero Sugar Syrups Dressings &Sauces](https://waldenfarms.com/)** > > Yes, we love flavorful food as much as you do. That’s why we created the best tasting calorie free dressings, syrups, coffee creamers, condiments, dips, spreads and sauces, made with culinary inspired blends of herbs and spices. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-serving-sizes/401529/45 "2007-04-27T05:06:29Z")
The silliest one I’ve encountered: in a diet book, a serving of whole fresh strawberries is 1/4 cup. How do you even measure 1/4 of whole strawberries? ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-serving-sizes/401529/46 "2007-04-27T16:10:24Z")
One restaurant serving of Lasagne probably contains 20 grocery store servings. I’ve always thought restaurants should be required to list calorie content on their menus. We eat to keep our bodies healthy and to get enery from food. Eating purely for pleasure comes in a distant 3rd. Lasagne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,575 calories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $12.95 Then they should total it up on your bill just like they do with the costs. ```auto Lasagne 3,375 $12.95 Garlic Bread side 650 $1.95 Side Salad 855 $7.95 Large Sprite 240 $1.95 Tiramisu 2,000 $6.95 Subtotal $31.75 Tax $1.59 **Total cal 7,120 $33.34 (213 cal/dollar)** ``` That would make for one heck of an informed consumer, huh? Of course it’ll never happen. Too burdensome for the restaurant industry. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-serving-sizes/401529/47 "2007-04-27T16:40:45Z")
I remember when cans of soda routinely claimed 2 servings per can. I remember one can that claimed 2.5 servings in one can. Really now, everybody knows that about 95% of people open a can of pop, and drink the entire thing themselves. Apparently the soft drink makers finally caved, because I’ve noticed that these days most cans of soda say, “Serving size: 1 can.” ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-serving-sizes/401529/48 "2007-04-27T16:45:51Z")
[QUOTE=Patty O’Furniture] One restaurant serving of Lasagne probably contains 20 grocery store servings. I’ve always thought restaurants should be required to list calorie content on their menus. We eat to keep our bodies healthy and to get enery from food. Eating purely for pleasure comes in a distant 3rd. Lasagne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,575 calories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $12.95 Then they should total it up on your bill just like they do with the costs. ```auto Lasagne 3,375 $12.95 Garlic Bread side 650 $1.95 Side Salad 855 $7.95 Large Sprite 240 $1.95 Tiramisu 2,000 $6.95 Subtotal $31.75 Tax $1.59 **Total cal 7,120 $33.34 (213 cal/dollar)** ``` That would make for one heck of an informed consumer, huh? Of course it’ll never happen. Too burdensome for the restaurant industry. :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] You think anyone that ordered that cares? :eek: And if your going to pay $33. take half of it home if you want to. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-serving-sizes/401529/49 "2007-04-27T16:53:19Z")
[QUOTE=Nava] Serving sizes are NOT supposed to be a portion. [/QUOTE] This reminds me of how British usage deals with alcoholic beverages, in clinical discussions or advice about drinking. Apparently they use “units” of alcohol, but a “unit” is approximately half of a standard serving of most alcoholic drinks. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-serving-sizes/401529/50 "2007-04-27T17:00:53Z")
[QUOTE=Patty O’Furniture] That would make for one heck of an informed consumer, huh? Of course it’ll never happen. Too burdensome for the restaurant industry. :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] Of course, once you _get_ the food, if you can’t ballpark the calorie content of a 14" diameter plate piled six inches high with lasagne, and know that if you eat all of it you will completely abandon any diet or system of healthy nutrition which you may be following, it’s not the restaurant’s fault. But you’re right, the portions are almost always too large, and “taking half home” is not an option if you have after dinner plans. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-serving-sizes/401529.md?page=2)