The Evolution of Dining: How People's Expectations for Food and Drink Portions Have Changed Over the Last 60 Years

December 29, 2025 •

3 min read

In the 1970s, a standard fast-food soda was around 6.5 ounces, a size that is now a historical artifact, dwarfed by today's super-sized offerings. This monumental shift illustrates just how profoundly people's expectations for food and drink portions have changed over the last 50 or 60 years, fundamentally altering our perception of a normal meal.

Quick Summary

This article examines the dramatic increase in food and drink portion sizes, exploring the economic, cultural, and psychological forces behind this significant shift in consumer expectations.

Key Points

Portion Distortion Is Real: Fast-food sodas, bagels, and burgers have grown significantly over the decades, leading to a new, inflated standard of what a normal meal should look like.
Value for Money Marketing: Food companies and restaurants drove the trend by offering larger portions for a minimal increase in cost, effectively training consumers to expect more for their dollar.
Psychological Cues Override Satiety: The use of larger plates and the habit of eating mindlessly from large packages cause people to consume more food without feeling more full.
Culture and History Played a Role: Post-WWII food abundance, agricultural practices, and cultural norms around hospitality have all contributed to our current expectation for large portion sizes.
Serious Health Consequences: The increase in portion sizes is strongly linked to rising obesity rates and the prevalence of diet-related chronic diseases.

From Modest Meals to 'Value' Offerings

A major factor in changing portion expectations is the food industry's shift towards leveraging volume as a selling point since the post-WWII era. By the 1970s, fast-food chains began offering "value sizing," increasing portions at low price points. Studies show many popular items grew significantly, some by 2 to 5 times. This practice linked quantity with value, making a 'regular' size seem 'small' and conditioning consumers to expect more. This competitive upselling led to 'portion distortion,' normalizing larger serving sizes.

The Psychological Triggers of Portion Creep

Beyond marketing, psychological factors also influence expectations. Visual cues like larger plates can make food appear smaller, prompting people to eat more. Dinner plates grew from 8–9 inches to 11–12 inches, impacting our perception of a sufficient meal. The "unit bias" causes people to see a single package as one portion, regardless of size. Snacking from large packages rather than single servings exacerbates this. Distracted or mindless eating also contributes, as people rely less on internal hunger cues and more on external ones like portion size.

Cultural Norms, Industry Practices, and Globalization

Cultural norms around hospitality have also shaped expectations, with generous portions often seen as a sign of abundance in many Western cultures. This contrasts with cultures like Japan, where meals feature smaller, diverse portions. Globalization has spread the Western emphasis on larger portions through fast food and processed snacks. Advances in food technology and agriculture have made producing large quantities of cheap, calorie-dense food economically viable, further driving demand for larger portions and altering eating habits.

The Health Consequences of Expanded Portions

Increased portion sizes are directly linked to rising overweight and obesity rates. Consuming larger portions consistently leads to increased calorie intake, even overriding the body's natural regulation. This caloric surplus raises the risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The health implications highlight the need to address portion distortion and educate consumers on appropriate serving sizes.

A Tale of Two Timelines: Portion Sizes Then and Now


Food/Drink Item	Circa 1970s-1980s	Modern Day	Key Change
Bagel	3 inches in diameter, 140 calories	6 inches in diameter, 350+ calories	More than doubled in size and calories
Cheeseburger	Approx. 330 calories	600-1000+ calories	Significantly larger, higher in calories
Fast-food soda	6.5-7 ounces	20-32 ounces or more	Quadrupled or quintupled in size
Snack bags	Single-serving size common	'Family size' and jumbo packages are the norm	Standard unit size has grown substantially
Dinner Plate	8-9 inches in diameter	11-12 inches in diameter	Expanded visual cues encourage larger portions

Breaking the Cycle of Portion Distortion

Reversing the trend requires addressing both consumer habits and industry practices:

Use smaller plates: Leverage the Delboeuf illusion by using 9-inch plates instead of 12-inch ones.
Measure before eating: Portion snacks from large packages into smaller containers.
Practice mindful eating: Focus on your meal without distractions to better recognize hunger and fullness.
Prioritize low energy-dense foods: Fill your plate with fruits and vegetables for satisfying portions without excess calories.
Educate yourself: Understand the difference between nutrition label serving sizes and typical restaurant or store portions.

Conclusion: Reframing Our Expectations

Over the past 50 to 60 years, expectations for food and drink portions have shifted dramatically from modest to supersized. This change is due to marketing, food production, and cultural norms around abundance. The consequences include public health crises and altered eating habits. To move forward, individual and societal efforts are needed to redefine normal portions. Using smaller plates, practicing mindful eating, and resisting the 'value for volume' mindset can help align eating habits with biological needs. For more on the psychology of portion size, see the PMC article on Portion Size Psychology.

Frequently Asked Questions

'Portion distortion' is the phenomenon where consistently larger serving sizes warp our perception of what a normal or appropriate portion of food is, leading to people eating more without realizing it.

Fast food portions have increased dramatically. A standard soda in the 1970s was about 6.5 ounces, but today's average is 20-32 ounces. Similarly, burgers and french fry sizes have also grown substantially since the 1970s.

Marketing created the "value sizing" concept, where consumers are offered more food for a proportionally small price increase. This trained people to associate larger sizes with better value, increasing consumer demand and normalizing larger portions.

Yes, cultural factors are influential. In many Western cultures, large portions can symbolize generosity, while other cultures, like in Japan, have long prioritized smaller, balanced portions.

The average dinner plate has grown over the decades. The larger plates can trigger the Delboeuf illusion, making a portion appear smaller and prompting us to serve ourselves more food.

Larger portion sizes are a major contributor to the rise in obesity rates. Consuming more calories than needed can lead to weight gain, and increase the risk of developing chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

To manage portions, you can use smaller plates, serve food from the kitchen instead of the table, measure out snacks, and practice mindful eating by focusing on your food without distractions.