Portion Distortion

We think we're eating like birds, but according to the government's definition of portion sizes, that's true only if those birds are vultures. In this Old Testament story, the Israelites must live on the portions of manna that the Lord gives them, leading us to ask why are we so discontent with what the Lord provides?

[INTERACTIVE IDEA: Stop by a bagel store, and bring a couple of big bagels into the pulpit. Dig into the bagel bag, produce a bagel, and hold it up for the congregation to see.]

Most of us try to be health-conscious. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture tries to help us out by telling us how many servings we should have per day per food group. For example, we're told that we should have at least six servings a day from the grain group, like this bagel.

But here's the problem: Look at the size of this sucker. It's about six inches across, and an inch and a half thick, and weighs almost a half-pound! This is not one serving; this bagel is about five or six servings by itself. Yet when we eat these bagel bagaettes, we think we're being so health-conscious.

In fact, we eat just one bagel, and badda badda bing, we've pretty much had more than enough to cover the USDA minimum daily requirements.

This is "portion distortion," writes Lawrence Lindner in The Washington Post. People think ...