Australia is the world's most overweight nation, ahead of the super-sized Americans. Nutrition surveys over the past 20 years have clearly established we are eating more Calories than we used to. In fact, children have increased their calorie intake by over 200 calories a day. If this extra 200 calories is stored as body fat, this can result in a whopping 10kg of extra body fat in a year.

There is clear evidence that the larger the serving size, the more we eat. What was once acceptable as a snack is now approaching the calories in an entire meal. 20 years ago, a Mars Bar weighed 30grams and contained 135 calories, and we were happy. Today the king size weighs 80grams and contains 370 calories. And we have fallen for it. It’s time for us to put food serves back into perspective.

Here is how to spoil your grandkids without spoiling their health.

Snack foods for children can be categorised into ‘everyday’ and ‘occasional’ choices, based on their nutritional value, glycemic index (GI), and levels of sugar and saturated fat.

Everyday snacks suitable for children, each with 100 calories:

1 cup fruit salad in the bowl

An apple

Fruit juice or Popper, 250ml

1 box sultanas, 40g

100g Ski D’Lite yoghurt tub

Mainland On The Go Light Cheese, 30g

Uncle Tobys Crunchy muesli bar

Individual bag of Movietime popcorn, 20g

35g fruit cake

Occasional choices for children’s snacks:

Mini packet of Arnott’s Shapes

Mini packet of potato crisps

1 Arnott’s Tim Tam

1 mini muffin

The Natural Confectionery Company packet of mini dinosaur lollies, 22g

1 Cadbury Freddo Frog

1 Kellogg’s K-time Twist

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Some nutrition information panels on packaged snack foods trick us into thinking they are single serves, but when you look closely, the fine print tells us there is more than one serve in there.

Most of us usually eat the entire pack because it looks like a single serve, but this could be too much for our energy needs. A single serve should contain 100 Calories for weight loss and 200 Calories for weight maintenance for Australian men, women and children.

There are many food brands that do provide snacks in the right portion sizes, packaged in single serves and we really congratulate them for helping us eat the right amount. Here are some examples of snacks packaged in suitable serving sizes versus those that are too much:

Educating children about healthy eating habits is part of the solution to curbing our growing obesity problem. The fact is we have probably reached our maximum life expectancy potential, and even with the best medical care, our children may live shorter lives than ourselves.

Obesity statistics tell us the 55 to 64 age group had the highest combined rates of overweight and obesity with 72 percent of males and 58 percent of females. As baby boomers, we have arrived in the age group of most importance to our health and quality of life. This is when heart problems, diabetes and cancers take hold.

The basis of a healthy life comes down to eating, exercise and psychological health. Knowing your correct serving size can help you make more informed decisions about how much to eat, and keep you on track if you want to lose or maintain weight.

By Amanda Clark

Dietitian and Author of Portion Perfection - A visual weight control plan Amanda Clark Adv APD.

About the Portion Perfection book, plate and bowl

Portion Perfection is a visual weight control plan that shows you exactly the right amount to eat if you want to lose or maintain weight. It includes everyday and occasional foods (such as treats like chocolate or wine) and spells out just how much to eat for various age groups. It has hundreds of pictures showing popular packaged foods, including almost every brand of yoghurt, cereal, muesli bar and crisps available in Australia, as well as common take-away foods. There’s also a Portion Perfection plate and bowl to help you serve up the right amount. All the Portion Perfection products are available at www.greatideas.net.au

About the Author

Amanda Clark is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian who received one of the highest accolades in her profession when she won the Dietitians Association of Australia’s President’s Award for Innovation. Amanda has spent the past 15 years reviewing other nutrition authors’ work for listing of the best on her online bookshop at www.greatideas.net.au