When it comes to losing weight, every little detail counts — and this has been proven in a new study that’s telling us the size of our tableware could be a factor in either weight loss or gain.
In a study that sounds almost like a practical joke, 85 food and nutrition specialists were invited to a social event where ice cream was served. Two sizes of bowls (17 oz and 34 oz) and two sizes of serving scoops (two ounce and three ounce) were distributed randomly to the participants. The ice cream was self-serve, so it was up to each person to decide how big his/her individual portion would be.
Each person’s bowl of ice cream was weighed before he/she dug into it, and the guests were all asked to guess the portion size and calorie count of their serving. Obviously, these experts were fairly close in their estimations — but that didn’t stop some of them from overdoing it.
The findings were surprising, given that the subjects were experts who had made a study of healthy eating habits a life pursuit — and who were more than familiar with portion control and calorie counting as well. It turns out that the people with the larger bowls ate an average of 31% more than those with the 17 oz bowls did. Moreover, the subjects who had the larger scoops consumed 14.5% more ice cream than those with the smaller serving utensils did.
So, the amount that you eat can be influenced by the size of your serving ware or your utensils. If you have a larger plate, you are more likely to fill up the greater space with food and, thus, eat more. A smaller plate or bowl fools your brain into thinking that you’re eating a larger portion, as the plate looks full when it actually contains less food, so you’re not as likely to overeat. The same principle goes with serving utensils — a bigger serving spoon might mean that you plop more of those mashed potatoes on your plate than you really need.
The fact that even the nutrition experts can be fooled by the visual illusion created by tableware size underscores the importance of recognizing and understanding how it works. You need to be aware of this principle — you must make it work for you, if you want to control your weight. Buy smaller dishes and serving utensils as part of your weight loss strategy and use them to limit your portions. (Just remember that you can’t go back for second or third helpings!)
When you’re eating out at someone else’s house or at a restaurant, don’t be seduced by the larger plate sizes. You can use your side plate, request a smaller dish, or just practice self-control and avoid filling up your entire plate (although that last strategy didn’t work for the nutrition experts when it came to the ice cream caper!).
Next Post: Indian Spice Could Serve Up Colon Cancer Prevention
Previous Post: The Dangerous Ingredient in Processed Meat
Tags: natural foods, natural weight loss, nutrition advice
