Mikki Williden: Nutritionist encourages smaller portions at restaurants

Could different portion sizes for each sex reduce obesity? According to one UK-based expert, it could. 

Professor Naveed Sattar says portion sizes at restaurants are often calibrated towards an adult male - and could be too much for women, children and shorter people. 

Nutritionist Mikki Williden told Ryan Bridge that there's lots of variables. 

She says the focus shouldn't be on the difference between the sexes - but smaller portion sizes generally isn't a bad option. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Women, children and shorter people should be offered smaller portions
than the average meal size. This is an advisor to
the UK government. This is what they think. Professor Navid
Satar says portion size is partly to blame for our
obesity crisis. He wants food outlets to offer two different
portion sizes to people to account for adult males and

(00:20):
then smaller people. So presumably you're putting short people, children
and women all into one camp. Nutritionist Mickey Willarden is
with me and let's discuss Mickey, good evening, Hey Ryan,
how are you good? Thank you? Is how much of
a you know, in terms of the big obesity problem,
how much of a contributor is portion size?

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Well, I mean, I guess if we're thinking about restaurants,
people eat out maybe one to three times a week,
so in terms of the number of meals, not that much.
But the modern food environment where food is available everywhere
and the portion sizes are pretty like big competitor, you know,
when we were I don't know, kids, I think it

(01:02):
is actually a big contributor, right.

Speaker 1 (01:05):
More so than what's on the plate. It's how big
the plate is.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
Well, what's on the plate obviously contributes to because many
of the foods that are sort of higher or sorry,
bigger portion sizes are also hyperpalatable, which just means that
our brains are going to sort of be queued into
eating more than we need because of the way that
they're processed. So it's definitely both.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
And in terms of portion sizes, is it true that
women eat less than men? Like, have we done studies
and confirmed that or is it just that because they're,
you know, on the whole a little smaller than men
that they we think they will.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Yeah, I think it's probably both. Actually, Ryan like women
carry less muscle mass there and this is all generalization obviously,
but generally speaking, men have more muscle mass, they're men,
bullet rates are higher, they do require more energy. But
of course, I mean that's very generalized because each individual

(02:06):
is different. But I think on a population basis, it's
a pretty safe assumption, though I will say I wouldn't
necessarily sort of base it on sex.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
For example. Yeah, what about that this idea of a
portion's a different portion size at a restaurant, Like, it
doesn't make much sense to me because when you go out,
you're normally going out because you're going to have a
nice meal, and it doesn't matter whether you're a man
or a woman. You're you know, you're finishing that plate,
you know. So is it really a good idea?

Speaker 2 (02:36):
Well, I guess it depends on where you eat at, right,
because there are some restaurants where it's not about the
portion size, it's about the food, it's about the ambience,
the environment. I believe that the professor was sort of
just talking about meals outside the home, which does sort
of encompass you know, snack bars and fast foods and
things like that. And I do think actually offering smaller

(02:57):
portions isn't a bad idea. I mean, no one's going
to be missing out. I mean, I think to say
that it's a male versus female thing, I don't necessarily
think that's the thing to focus on, but I do
think offering smaller portion sizes isn't a bad option.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
Mickey Willard and Nutrition has appreciate your time. Thanks for
being on the program. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive,
listen live to news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays,
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