Big Portions May Prompt Overeating
A study published in the September/October issue of the Journal of Nutrition, Education, and Behavior demonstrates a link between large portion sizes and overeating. In the study, researchers gave 158 moviegoers either medium (4.2-ounce) or large (8.4-ounce) tubs of popcorn that was either fresh or 14 days old. As expected, the 14-day-old popcorn was described with such remarks as “stale” and “it was terrible.”
Researchers found people ate 34% more stale popcorn if it was served in a big bucket than those given the same stale popcorn in medium-sized containers.
But the binging was even worse when people were given fresh, tasty popcorn in an oversized bucket. People ate 45% more of the fresh popcorn than those given fresh popcorn in medium-sized containers.
Researchers say larger portions may implicitly suggest what a “normal” or “appropriate” amount to eat is and prompt people to eat more than the recommended serving size of foods, even when the food is unappealing.
One of the authors of the study, Brian Wansink, notes a silver lining to the findings — that portion sizes can be used to increase the consumption of less appetizing, but healthy foods, such as raw vegetables. “While a small bowl of raw carrots might make for a good afternoon snack, a large bowl might be even better.”
Links:
- Big Portions May Prompt Overeating (WebMD)
- Bad popcorn in big buckets (Cornell University)
Tags: diet, nutrition, weight loss, binge eating
November 30th, 2005 at 1:56 pm
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