Selection and quantification of typical food portions by young adults

Extract: Young adults between 18 and 30 years of age were asked to select portions of breakfast and luncheon foods which they considered typical or average serving sizes and, then, without assistance from either an interviewer or food models, to describe in quantifiable terms the amount selected. For many foods, the amount chosen deviated appreciably from generally accepted standards. The subjects' ability to describe the amount of food with an error of less than 25% was correspondingly poor. Only one-third, however, erred consistently in the same direction. (author)