A HEALTH PROBLEM IN RESTAURANTS, WHETHER A STEAKHOUSE OR FAST FOOD CHAIN, THAT YOU CAN FIX... AND SAVE MONEY AT THE SAME TIME. (See How to Fix It, below).

Every now and then, my husband, Richard, likes to visit a steakhouse; you know the type, they're really sort of a slice of Americana-you don't find them elsewhere in the world-and they fill up with two-fisted eaters and drinkers-and, while you can get a slice of fish in most, their specialty is beef of every kind, at sky high prices. Well, two weeks ago, while we were traveling, I joined him in his semi-annual visit to such a restaurant, and got a shock.

Richard's favorite cut of steak is New York Strip (when I go with him, by the way, I often order two appetizers as my meal.) I never focused on this before, but the smallest New York Strip steak the restaurant offered was 16 oz. in size-one whole pound-at a price of $38.50 a la carte.

As Richard ordered it, I asked him how he could eat such a mammoth portion. He said he couldn't, and, indeed, he did not, and, since we were returning to our hotel to get ready for a flight the next morning, he simply left the remnants, which were still enough for two more meals, on his plate.

This incident reminded me of my "tip." 10 minor tips to help you lose major weight, posted in our Web site, in which I recommend small portions, eating dinners off a lunch plate, and pushing away from the table feeling not too full, among other things (it's worth reading, http://www.oleda.com/). It also awakened me to the fact that portion sizes at restaurants and fast-food chains are out of control.

More than 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, and a contributing factor to the problem is industrial-size plates, glasses, utensils and obscene amounts of food and beverages brought to our tables. The problem has become so acute that, as a result of the increase in passenger weight, airlines spend an additional $275 million per year to burn 350 million more gallons of fuel, and emit 3.8 million more tons of carbon monoxide into the air. Southwest airlines has had a discreet policy in place for some time whereby they require a passenger who overflows into a second seat to purchase two seats (the criterion is not weight; it's whether the armrest can be put down between seats). And, since overweight people put more stress on furniture and beds, etc., a hotel in Norden, Germany, charges by a person's weight (1/2 euro (64c;) per kilo (2.2 Lbs.).

A recent Penn State study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that even when women ate less than two-thirds of "standard portions," they were getting significantly more calories than they needed. But when their portions were reduced by 25 percent, the women ate more of the serving, but actually consumed about 250 fewer calories per day without being any hungrier.

Even though the restaurants are serving too much...the consumer is to blame.

Many consumers consider portion size as the mark of a great restaurant. A portion is the amount of a specific food you choose to eat. They can be smaller or larger than recommended food servings, but most restaurants and some families have gone too far. When restaurants try to downsize portion sizes, customers take their business elsewhere.

A serving describes the amount of food recommended by a government agency such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH). One NIH recommendation says that we should eat between 6 and 11 servings of whole grains daily, but that doesn't mean that we can eat 6 to 11 large bagels or large whole-grain muffins.

Most of us don't know how to recognize a healthy portion or a recommended serving when we see it. We know what a cup is, but we're not as sure when it comes to foods that are measured in grams or ounces. A 20-ounce soft drink is actually two-and-a-half servings. A large order of French fries contains one-third of all the calories you should eat in one day. The NIH has published a fun card for easy reference comparing serving sizes to common items. For example, 3 oz. of meat or poultry is equivalent in size to a deck of cards, 1 pancake replicates a compact disc., and so on. You can download this card at http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/portion/servingcard7.pdf.

Researchers suggest strategies to control portions.

At home:

Cut portion size and/or reduce the amount of calories in those portions by eating more brightly colored fruits and vegetables.

Use smaller plates, bowls, and cups (salad plates are now the size of dinner plates from our parents' day).

A study in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that when people serve themselves, the size of the serving dish influences the amount of food they take. The study found that people served themselves 53 percent more food from big bowls than from smaller ones.

In meals prepared at home, keep serving dishes on the kitchen counter or cook-top, not on the table.

Don't eat in front of the TV-food goes down too quickly when your mind is somewhere else.

Restaurants present a different problem:

Share. Sharing entrees and desserts with your partner takes away the temptation to overeat just because the food is in front of you. Whenever I do want to eat some steak with Richard at a steakhouse, he'll order that 16 oz. New York Strip Steak and I'll take about 3 oz of it (the size of a deck of cards) while he'll keep the rest, eat 6 oz. (two decks of cards) and bring the remainder home for sandwiches the next day. I love desserts, but will never eat a whole one. Sometimes one dessert can even be shared among four people.

At the drive in window, order the smallest sizes and don't give in to the sales pitch most servers are trained to offer ("Would you like fries with that burger?).

More is not better.

The more we put in front of ourselves, whether at home or dining out, the more we eat.

How to help yourself? Know your serving sizes, do your best to control portions, and stay with the program even if you have an occasional relapse. If you can't resist the urge to overload your plate, do it with low-risk, high reward fruits and vegetables.

HOW TO FIX THE RESTAURANT PROBLEM

At a dinner for two people, don't hesitate to order one main course and split it. You can both order an appetizer and/or salad (you might even want to split those, too). Many people are now doing this even in fine restaurants...don't worry about how the restaurateur or server might feel-they are not responsible for your longer, healthier life span. If enough people would do this they might finally start selling 8 oz NY Strips. It's your life...take care of it at all costs.