Great Graphic: Portion Size and All about that Bass

The representation of the Happy Buddah as a rotund man makes sense.  In a world of scarcity, a fat man is healthy and prosperous.   In the modern world, and not only in the high income countries, the general condition is one of surplus. 

This has juxtaposed the traditional relationship.  Proper nutrition and less elevated body-mass index is linked to health and prosperity.  Eating well and being in good physical shape for one's age is a class issue.  It is not simply a case of consumer education, but also of the concentration and consolidation among grocery stores.  Is one forced by the lack of feasible and nearby alternatives, to regularly purchase one's produce at a 7-11, for example?  

This Great Graphic was posted on a blog called Revolt Against the Modern World.  No sources were cited, but it appears to have been pulled from a presentation by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.   A key point it makes is that portion sizes at American restaurants has doubled or even tripled over the past couple of decades.    It says this has contributed to American obesity. 

At the same time, there is incredible waste taking place.  The National Resource and Defense Council (NRDC) estimate that food production accounts for 10% of US energy consumption, 50% of the land and 80% of the fresh water usage.  And 40% of the food is wasted, as in thrown out (the equivalent of $165 bln in 2012).  The NRDC estimates that by reducing this waste by a modest 15% would be sufficient to feed 25 mln Americans, when 1 in 6 lack a secure supply of food.

Meghan Trainor's new song and video, All About That Bass  is thoroughly entertaining, and works on a personal level, but let's not make it a national policy.