Based on the results of a new survey, the British Nutrition Foundation is helping parents to Get Portion Wise and check the portion sizes they are eating and serving to their children. The survey, conducted among parents across Great Britain with children aged under 18 years, reveals that over half (57 percent) of parents use ‘visual estimation’ when deciding how much food to serve themselves, while only 15 percent measure their portions and 14 percent follow package instructions. When thinking about how much their children should eat, 51 percent of parents judge portion sizes based on how much their children usually eat and 16 percent say they let their children serve their own portions.

Talking about their own eating habits, one fifth (20 percent) of parents say they eat until they are full, while 12 percent say they often then eat a little bit more after they’re full to finish off what’s on their plate. In relation to their children, over a third (37 percent) of parents always or often make their children eat everything on their plate, and a further 23 percent sometimes insist their children finish everything they are served.

Bridget Benelam, Nutrition Communications Manager, from the British Nutrition Foundation said: “Being aware appropriate portion sizes of different types of food for adults and for children of different ages, can be a helpful way to get the balance of the diet right for ourselves and our children. In England, about a quarter of adults are living with obesity (25.9 percent) and 37.9 percent are classified as overweight*, while over a fifth (22.1 percent) of 10-11 year old children are classified as living with obesity*. Research has shown that large portions of food encourage both adults and children to eat more. So getting portion sizes right is an important element of having a balanced diet that supports a healthy body weight.”

In the survey conducted by YouGov, nearly two thirds (63 percent) of all parents surveyed say they always or often feel confident choosing the right portion sizes for their children. On the other hand, nearly a third (32 percent) of all parents only sometimes or rarely feel confident in choosing the right portion sizes for their children.

Over one in 10 (11 percent) parents with children aged under 4 years, and 15 percent of parents with children aged 5 to 11 years, say they let their children serve themselves. Seven percent of parents with children 4 years and under and 11 percent of parents with children 5-11 years old say they give their children the same portion sizes as they give to themselves. Only eight percent of all parents say they use resources, such as guidelines or portion charts to determine appropriate portions sizes for their children at home; 13 percent of male and eight percent of female survey respondents say they measure out their children’s portion sizes based on their age and height.

Benelam continued: “As a rule, children need portion sizes that reflect their body size and calorie requirements. So, we’re encouraging parents to check the portion sizes they are serving to their children. One way to get an idea of proportions is to compare yours and your child’s hands. For example, for baked potatoes we suggest a potato approximately the size of a fist, which will be larger for an adult, smaller for a younger child. If in doubt, start small and offer second helpings if your child is still hungry.”

Second helpings
The British Nutrition Foundation survey also looked at how much children are eating in addition to the portions served at meal times. Nearly half (48 percent) of all parents say that their children have second helpings at least once a week, of which 21 percent say they are having second helpings two to three days each week and 11 percent having them more than four times each week. 56 percent of parents with children four years and under say their children have second helpings between once a week and every day, this drops to 52 percent of parents with children aged 5-11 years and then 42 percent of parents of 12-16 year olds.

Over three quarters (77 percent) of all parents say that their children eat a dessert or pudding after their main meal at least once a week; of which 18 percent have a dessert or pudding every day and 17 percent have one between four and six days a week.

28 percent of parents either strongly agree or tend to agree that they need more guidance on deciding the appropriate portion sizes for their children, while nearly half, 46 percent, do not agree. The research shows that younger parents tend to like having more guidance on portion sizes, 42 percent of 25-34 year olds parents surveyed would like more information compared with 27 percent of 35-44 year olds and 17 percent of 45 to 54 year olds.

Benelam said: “While we at the British Nutrition Foundation and others have guidance on portion sizes for adults, there’s very little information out there for parents and carers on appropriate children’s portion sizes. In this work we looked at research[1] by child health experts that investigated children’s portions by age groups; four-six years, seven-10 years, 11-14 years and 15-18 years, and calculated portion sizes for a range of foods based on the calorie and nutrient requirements of each age group. Up to 14 years, these requirements for boys and girls are similar, but by 15-18 years, gender differences emerge, with boys typically needing larger portions. For example, a four–six-year-old’s portion of cooked pasta is 80g, while a seven–10-year-old’s portion increases to 120g. These measures can guide parents in offering appropriately sized portions to meet children’s nutritional needs without encouraging overeating.”

Snacking
The survey also asked parents about their children’s eating habits outside of meal times. 88 percent of parents say that their children have snacks between meals at least once a week, of which 38 percent having snacks every day of the week. Snacks between meals every day are most common in the younger age groups 49 percent of parents with children under four years and 39 percent of parents with children five-11 years say their children have snacks every day of the week