News: Last Supper portions are out of control: study

I’m making an attempt to be more conscious of my portion sizes these days. It’s part of my personal everything-in-moderation plan for healthy eating. Well, it looks like I’m not the only person faced with the challenge of portion control: Jesus Christ himself seems to be struggling with the size of his last supper. Sort of.

A study published in the April issue of the International Journal of Obesity shows that the size of the meal depicted in paintings of the Last Supper has increased in the past millennium. Researchers from Cornell University scanned 52 artistic interpretations of the Last Supper and, using a computer program, found that the size of the main course increased by 69 percent between the years of 1000 and 2000.

Researcher Craig Wansink says the results of this study reflect our culture of super-sized meals and over eating, reports the BBC. If art really does imitate life, the results of this study don’t bode well for those of us trying to limit the size of our meals. I mean, if the son of God can’t control his portion sizes, how are mere mortals expected to?

All kidding aside, we don’t really need an analysis like this to tell us we live in a culture of excess when it comes to eating. I recently went to a restaurant where my gigantic brunch was served on a plate that was bigger than my head. So how much is too much food? Proper servings are actually much smaller than you may think. Would it surprise you to learn that a serving of meat, according to the Canada Food Guide, is just half a cup (75 g)?

Are you conscious of your portions? Do you have any tricks for controlling the amount of food on your plate?

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‘ 10 ways you’re sabotaging your diet
‘ Eat more to weigh less
‘ 8 reasons why you can’t lose weight