Drinking out of control

Soft drinks are in a supersize class by themselves, because they add nothing useful to the diet other than calories and sugar, and they don’t satisfy hunger. Here are the numbers on a few serving sizes as reported by the vendors:

7 ounces: 82 calories, 22g sugar

12 ounces: 140 calories, 38g sugar

16 ounces: 180 calories, 49g sugar

32 ounces: 374 calories, 102g sugar

64 ounces: 780 calories, 217g sugar

20 years ago

A bagel had a 3-inch diameter and was 140 calories. Today, bagels have a 6-inch diameter and 350 calories for a difference of 210 calories.

A cheeseburger was 333 calories. Today, cheeseburgers are 590 calories for a difference of 257 calories.

A slice of pepperoni pizza was 210 calories and 1.5 ounces. Today, a pepperoni pizza slice is 500 calories and 4 ounces for a difference of 290 calories.

SOURCE: Barry Popkin, University of North Carolina

McDonald’s, then and now

Back when McDonald’s first started selling soda, a “small” came in a 12-ounce serving. Now a “small” soda sold under the Golden Arches contains 16 ounces and a “large” has 32 ounces.