What I Learned From My Grandma’s Dishes About Portion Control

I love old things. Our house is filled with pieces from my grandparents’ house and items my dad has found at flea markets. Our china cupboard houses my grandmother’s collection of Depression glass, which I treasure. One day recently, the dessert dishes caught my eye, and I was struck by how incredibly tiny they were. I was curious: How did these 1930-era dishes stack up against the ones my family uses for dessert 80 years later?

So I lined them up:

 Then I measured how much each dish held:

Thinking about these dishes in terms of ice cream is where it really gets shocking. Because if we were all eating regular, full-fat ice cream (the kind my grandma would’ve eaten) from our respective dishes, here’s what each of us would get:

• My grandma: 266 calories
• Me: 693 calories 
• My husband: 1064 calories

Did I mention my grandma lived to be 99 years old?