I'm talking about whopper-sized burgers, buckets of juice, lollies, huge muffins and raisin toast so thick that you're eating the equivalent to two slices of regular bread.

You don't have to be a nutritionist to put two and two together - increasing serve sizes mirrors the trend to increasing waistlines.

Everyone enjoys a treat. But it's got to be modest eating one or two squares of chocolate every now and then is fine. Eating a whole block or a couple of rows every day is not.

Treats are high in kilojoules (calories), high in fat or sugar and served in portions that are too huge for our overweight sedentary world.

But things are changing. Small sizes are starting to appear and nowhere is this clearer than with the emergence of the humble cup cake. A new trend and one that I hope soon displaces those too-huge popular muffins.

At 200g, the average blueberry muffin leaves you with a hefty 2300 kilojoules and around 25g of fat. That's as much as fat as in 1 tub of hot chips!

In contrast, the more modest 90g cup cake has less that 1200 kJ and 15g of fat. Less if you buy one without the icing. For me, they're just enough to satisfy, five or so ample bites to enjoy with my tea or coffee.

The cup cake is a step in the right direction. Ditto for 100 calorie chocolate bars, two-bite brownies, miniature tubs of creme caramel and mini-friands.

Remember: When it comes to treats, small is best.

Catherine Saxelby is a nutritionist and author of Nutrition for Life. Get more healthy eating tips at www.foodwatch.com.au