You Won’t Believe How Much More Junk Food We’re Eating 20 Years On

Over the last twenty years, the portions of unhealthy foods that we eat has been dramatically rising. There are a number of salient reasons for this. In order to compete with discount brands, big junkfood corporations like Coles and Woolworths are decreasing the prize and upping the size of their bulk offerings, causing customers who would normally buy a single 2$ candy bar to buy a whole lot more for just 3$. According to a study by the George Institute for Global Health, The average portion size of both pizza and cake is up by 66%, Ice Cream consumption is up by 39%, and we’re drinking more wine and beer (36% more and 13% more respectively) than ever before.

While consumption of lots of fatty foods is way up, some of the usual culprits–pastries, potato chips, fries–are actually being eaten a bit less. It’s suggested that perhaps we recognize these subconsciously as unhealthy foods, and are training ourselves to avoid them. While that might seem like a light at the end of the tunnel, it cuts both ways– we might feel bad about eating potato chips, but a pack of sugar-laden gluten-free cookies? Those must be healthy. The solution this article suggests: pay more attention to portion sizes. If you eat only the amount you should, there’s no way you can overeat.