Question:
You often write about servings of healthy foods. But what is a serving? Is it measured by weight, volume or cup, for instance? And are servings for fruit, nuts, red meat, whole grains, etc, all measured similarly?
Answer:
What Costco calls a muffin would almost have qualified as a familysized cake W during my childhood in the 1970s and 80s. And muffins are not the only "growing" food in New Zealand: a 2018 study by the University of Auckland found that fast-food serving sizes increased significantly during the 2010s. If these changes confirm one thing, it's that serving sizes are a moving target. They also vary widely between countries according to different food traditions, a recent study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health noted. For example, a serving of pasta is defined as 80g of raw pasta in Italy.
In contrast, our Ministry of Health defines a serving as 1 cup of cooked pasta-about 56g of uncooked pasta.
The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code does not define a standard serving size. This is the code that sets legal requirements for the labelling, composition, safety, handling, primary production and processing of food here and across the Tasman. With no defined serving sizes in the code, there are no regulations on the serving sizes used on the nutrition information panel that appears on food packaging.
The only guidance that Food Standards Australia New Zealand (the agency responsible for the code) provides is that serving sizes specified by a food business should reflect a realistic portion of the food a person would typically consume on one eating occasion. So, although one cereal manufacturer might consider a third of a cup of muesli a standard serving size, another might specify something different.
This story is from the June 10-16 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 10-16 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.