Task Force: Portion Sizes In the US
Congratulations!
The USDA has hired your team to design a new infographic that teaches people about portion sizes.
Why Are We Doing This?
You’ve probably seen and learned about the Food Pyramid or MyPlate infographics designed to teach people about the different types of food they should eat in a day, and how much. However, restaurants in the US tend to serve meals that are much larger than what is considered a serving size and it can be hard to know how much you’re eating. Also, the current guidelines are designed for the “average” person’s height and weight, when in reality, most people don’t fit that description. Here, we ask you to think about how people can better understand portion sizes and create a simple visual that educates people on how to eat in the correct portion sizes.
Steps
- Research some issues related to portion sizes and what experts and people are saying about eating the correct amount when out at restaurants.
- Design your infographic, think about:
- What guidelines will you advise people to follow when evaluating portion sizes?
- How will your infographic educate people about eating in the correct portion sizes?
- How will your infographic be engaging and fun to look at?
- Where will it be used? In schools? Hanging in restaurants? Shared on social media? How do these considerations affect what it looks like?
- How will your guidelines address the fact that not everyone can or should eat the same amount? Can your design be adaptable?
- Share with the group and see if you can convince them that your infographic will help teach people about eating in the correct portion sizes.
- Consider any objects or questions people might have about your infographic.
Things to Keep in Mind:
- You do not have to come up with an exhaustive list of ideas. It’s better to come up with a few ideas that you feel confident with and spend time thinking through possible objections to them.
- You don’t have to worry about answering all possible objections, but you should have some defense of why you think your reasons are more important.
- Your design should be something that the government could realistically implement.