The Joy of Cooking Too Much: 70 Years of Calorie Increases in Classic Recipes

Background: Obesity has been associated with the expanding portion sizes of away-from-home foods (1). Although portion size norms and calorie density have increased outside the home, they could also have a parallel or referred impact on serving sizes in the home (2, 3). Cookbook recipes might provide a longitudinal gauge of how serving sizes and calorie density have changed inside homes. One cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, has been updated approximately every 10 years since 1936 (4) and could provide a glimpse into the changing norms of U.S. food preparation and serving sizes over the past 70 years (5).

Objective: To assess changes in calorie density and serving sizes of household meals since 1936, as reflected in recipes in …