Forget about super-sizing. Portion size at three major fast-food chains changed little from 1996-2013, say researchers at Tufts. In a pair of reports, they say sodium, fat and calorie totals “stayed relatively constant albeit at high levels,” according to a Tufts release. It quotes nutrition professor Alice Lichtenstein as saying “the variability among chains is considerable and the levels are high for most of the individual menu items assessed, particularly for items frequently sold together as a meal, pushing the limits of what we should be eating to maintain a healthy weight and sodium intake.” The cheeseburger, fries and regular cola meal contained 1,144 to 1,757 calories, equal to 57-88 percent of recommended daily calories. A cheeseburger had enough salt to meet half to two-thirds of the recommended daily intake.
A bright spot was the decline in trans fats in the food. Lichtenstein said the chains could help consumer by downsizing their portions and reformulating recipes to contain less salt and fat. The research team also said public health campaigns should focus attention on calories and nutrient content rather than just urging people to buy a smaller amount of food. They said a small order of fries could vary by as much 110 calories among fast food chains. An extra 100 calories a day can mean a weight gain of 10 pounds a year, they said.