Triple threat weight loss tactic
A ‘portion size’ is the actual food that is placed on your plate, reflecting your own choice or the choice of the restaurant or food producer. But what if you change the plate and serving utensil, with or without changing the portion size? Downsizing all around could lead to less food consumption with the same satiety.
A new review of portion research published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, finds that simply reducing portion sizes is not an easy solution to reducing our energy intakes. “Factors such as packaging, labelling, advertising, size of the whole pack, cost and promotion also affect an individual’s choice.” The best solution is likely a combination of solutions.
Consumers are generally aware that the portion sizes of many foods have increased. Plate sizes are also increasing: in the USA in the 1980s, the typical dinner plate was 25cms whereas in the 2000s it was 30 cms, an increase in area of 44%. There is also evidence that the size of the serving utensil may be influential: more food is taken when the scoop is larger.
Although the use of small plates is widely believed to result in a smaller food intake, the research in the study found little conclusive evidence for that single factor. The study suggests that multiple solutions will likely be the most effective, depending on the social situation, the nature of the food being eaten, and the type of person being studied.
Nerd out with the full study here: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10408398.2012.679980
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