I read with great interest a recent report published in the 2009 Annals of Internal Medicine (Volume 150 pages 291-291) by a colleague of mine, Brian Wanskink, Ph.D., from Cornell. In the study, scientists analyzed recipes from the classic cookbook, The Joy of Cooking.

Since 1936, the editors of The Joy of Cooking have revised the cookbook every ten years. It turns out that there are just 18 recipes that have been continuously published in all of the editions. The scientists analyzed these recipes and found that over the last 70 years, there's been an average 63% increase in calories per serving for each of the recipes. The increase in calories came from higher calorie ingredients included in the recipes and also larger serving sizes.

I do not believe that The Joy of Cooking is contributing to our waistlines! But I do feel that this iconic book reflects the general shift in calories per serving for almost all foods and venues. To quote the authors, 'serving sizes and calorie composition of classic recipes need to be downsized to counteract growing waistlines.' I agree. This steady drift up in calories needs to be reversed so that we are seeing a steady decrease in calories across the board!