The eyebrow-raising graphics posted by BUPA showed just how frighteningly small the “recommended portion sizes” are for everyday foods like cheese and pasta.
If, like me, you enjoy nothing more than coating a mountain of pasta in a thick layer of cheese – then look away now. A recent social media post by UK-based healthcare provider, BUPA, has supposedly illustrated what the recommended portion sizes of pasta and cheese look like – and it’s a lot smaller than you think (much to literally everyone’s dismay).
BUPA illustrates cheese and pasta portion size with terrifying images
Taking to Instagram to shock foodies across the globe just over a fortnight ago, the private health firm cheerfully quipped: “You’d cook this much pasta, wouldn’t you?”, alongside an image of a normal, if a little small, portion of uncooked pasta. The moment of horror came in the second slide, however, as BUPA unveiled three measly-looking teaspoons, each holding no more than five or six pieces of farfalle – captioned “This is a recommended portion of pasta.”
And things went from bad to worse, as BUPA went on to claim that the average portion of cheese should be able to fit inside a minuscule matchbox:
The internet condemns BUPA for ‘ludicrous’ portion sizes
Though BUPA did clarify that “Portion sizes may vary depending on individual circumstances”, both posts were subsequently flooded with streams of negative comments, as concerned viewers expressed their dismay at BUPA’s portion size recommendations.
“Dear Bupa, Please reconsider your posts about ‘recommended servings’ as someone with an eating disorder it is extremely triggering and very unhelpful”, wrote one user. “Every person is different recommended portion sizes are respectfully crap.”
Another viewer joked: “The 2nd photo is the amount of cheese you eat whilst grating yourself the first portion size”.
Reacting to the spoonfuls of pasta, a dismayed Instagram user wrote: “Respectfully shut up, this is not an amount of food to normalise, you’re looking at around 300 kcal in your suggested portion size which is not a meal by any means.”
The posts soon made their way over to TikTok, where this creator could hardly contain her perplexion at the photos of the humble servings which she labeled “an outrage”:
Where did they get their numbers from?
While the images may have looked ridiculous to most, BUPA did not pluck the numbers out of thin air.
In a blog post uploaded to the healthcare provider’s site, BUPA clarified that their portion size recommendations were based on figures from the British Dietetic Association, Public Health England and the British Nutrition Foundation.
According to the statistics BUPA cited, the average portion size of pasta should be 75 grams/6.3 ounces uncooked, or 150 grams/5.3 ounces cooked – which they claim works out at around two to three tablespoons worth.
When it comes to cheese, 30 grams is the supposed correct portion size, which certainly doesn’t look like much if you cram it into a small matchbox.
As ever, it is important to remember that posts like BUPA’s do not accurately reflect the fact that everybody is different and people have quite drastically varying needs when it comes to food. While numbers can be important, make sure to listen to your body when deciding how much pasta or cheese is right for you.
If you or someone you know needs support from an eating disorder helpline, you can call NEDA at (800) 931-2237.
If you are based in the UK, Beat can be contacted at 0808 801 0677, while Mind’s contact number is 0300 123 3393.
