Researchers at Yale University and the University of Michigan closely examined the marketing strategies of today's food industry, and guess what? The scientists say that the tactics being used these days to sell groceries look a lot like the marketing schemes used by the tobacco industry back in the 1950s.

That is, the researchers' studies suggest that the food industry is perfectly happy to let the U.S. consumer puzzle over whether a product is healthy. And the food manufacturers apparently prefer not to be accountable for any confusion regarding the nutritional content of their products.

The research suggests that, although the food and beverage industries might appear to be producing healthier products these days, this might be simply a case of catering to the latest "health food" trends and not of being concerned about our well-being.

Perhaps this could explain why our juice drinks of late have been teeming with acai and other "hot" antioxidants. In fact, some of the new so-called "health drinks" pack whopping amounts of the same old sugars and calories. Vitamin waters have been notorious for this too, although suddenly there are zero- and 10-calorie versions available.

At least one large manufacturer has been sued recently for selling "health drinks" without making it crystal clear to consumers how many calories they contain. The company's lawyers have come back with a statement to the effect that American consumers are well versed in reading labels and so they are well aware of the calorie content of all the foods they eat.

But is that really true? I know from my nutrition practice that even the most seasoned label readers often neglect to look at the small print on these "health" drinks and foods because they automatically assume they're nutritious.

And so the statistics are shattering. The most widely disseminated CDC research statistics show that 63 percent of adult Americans have a body mass index (BMI) in excess of 25.0--the cut-off point where the overweight range begins. What's more, more than 25 percent of Americans have BMIs that surpass 30.0, which lands them squarely inside the obese category. Perhaps the most riveting statistic, however, concerns obesity in kids: Childhood obesity has more than tripled over the past 2 decades.

I teach classes at Johns Hopkins on "portion distortion" and on how to survive the dining-out experience. My students are always shocked to learn how the huge portions we've come to expect at restaurants these days dwarf the dietician's recommended portion sizes or, for that matter, the amounts of food the students actually need to maintain good health.

For example, the size of a fist represents 2 servings of pasta, or about 150 calories, whereas the size of a deck of (regular) playing cards represents what a single serving of protein--meat, chicken, fish or tofu--should look like at either lunch or dinner.

Contrast this to what you're served at restaurants, especially with regard to pasta. Every ounce of bread is about 75 calories, and your average bagel these days weighs in at 3 or 4 ounces, or a whopping 300 calories--and that might just be your mid-morning snack!

So is the food industry to blame for today's ever-increasing portions, or is it buyer beware? Should there be large signs on all of our food and drink containers warning that eating the contents might lead to weight gain, obesity, and chronic disease?

What do you think, dear readers? I'd love to hear from you!