Twenty years ago, the average order of french fries weighed 2.4 ounces and had 210 calories. Today, it's nearly triple that at 7.1 ounces and 610 calories.

"Our nature is we eat what's in front of us," she said. "We as a society are now eating more calories per day per person than we ever have."

Researchers say the trend is showing up everywhere. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute reports bagels have grown by three inches and 210 calories in the past 20 years. Cheeseburgers have swelled from 330 calories to 591 on average. And a serving of spaghetti and meatballs now comprises two cups, not one, and with larger meatballs, the total calorie count has more than doubled from 500 to 1,025.

"What used to be considered a large portion size 20 years ago is now a very small portion," Lewis said. "That leads to terrible secondary complications."

Those include obesity and its related conditions: heart disease, diabetes and others. Lewis said the health risks are more severe among adults, but children are a special concern because they could spend their whole lives with poor eating habits instilled by their parents.

"The top 5 percent of children have been classified for decades as obese," she said. "The whole curve of our weight has shifted. We have twice as many people in those higher categories."

Amber Cutsbert, a dietician at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, said portions are at their worst at restaurants.

"The majority of the time, it's not appropriate to consume the entire meal that's served -- especially an entree," she said. "It's probably like at least three or four times what a normal person should be eating."

But the problem isn't limited to dining out; Cutsbert said home-cooked meals have a way of trending after what's happening elsewhere.

"Because people are eating out a lot more than they used to, those trends are definitely carrying over," she said. "That's the amount that you're starting to feel like you need in order to feel full."

The trend appears to be driven by customers who demand more for their money and retailers who can produce and sell food with increasing speed and economy, said Dr. Steve Aldana, a former Brigham Young University professor and author of several nutrition books.

"We eat all we can eat," he said. "Just think about the whole concept of free refills. That concept is unique to America."

The result is more calories than the human body needs, Aldana said.

"The average American eats about 350 calories more per day than we did 15 years ago," he said.

A study published in the research journal "Appetite" suggested that portion sizes directly influence how much people will eat. Test subjects were fed sub sandwiches of different sizes over four days. When presented with a 12-inch sandwich, women consumed 31 percent more calories than they did with a 6-inch sandwich. Men consumed 56 percent more.

Aldana said the health content of many common foods has diminished in the past few decades just as much as the size has increased. The introduction of high-fructose corn syrup as a sugar replacement and the overprocessing of food have made it harder to find nutritious calories than ever before, he said.

"I really encourage people to eat foods close to their natural form," Aldana said. "In general, it's a big difference between that and a Hostess Twinkie, which has a dairy product in it."

To combat growing portion sizes, Cutsbert recommended simply eating large servings of food over several sittings.

"Share a meal, or make sure that you're saving some for leftovers," she said.

She also said ditching the old parental adage, "Clean your plate," could make a big difference among kids.

"Parents have a big effect on the children as far as how they enforce eating rules around the house," she said. "Maybe serve up less than they'll eat, and then let them ask for more."

• Ace Stryker can be reached at 344-2556 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it