Do restaurants promote "extreme eating?"

The next time you go out to eat, take a look at the portions in front of you. Chances are your plate holds 3 to 5 times the amount one person should be eating. A common recommendation is for restaurant diners to box up half their meal upon arrival and save it for the next day, but how often does that happen? Probably not as often as it should.

A concerned consumer group, Center for Science in the Public Interest, is speaking out against humongous restaurant portions that often contain a day's worth of calories and sometimes over 100 grams of fat. Saying that these kinds of dishes promote an era of "extreme eating," the group wants government to step in and force these establishments to list nutritional information on the menu. Restaurant industry leaders defend themselves, saying that many restaurants do make the information public, and offer healthier alternatives as well.

Interestingly, I found this blog that has the intriguing argument that restaurant consumers themselves are to blame for the growth in portion sizes. What do you think? If calorie and fat gram information were listed next to each item on a menu, would it help you make better choices? Or would you still order that bacon double cheeseburger and fries..and enjoy it?