How many food-related decisions do you
make in a day? In a Cornell University study, most participants guessed around
15--but the true answer is more like 200. You make so many of your choices on
autopilot that seemingly insignificant factors like bowl size, room lighting,
and plate color can make a huge difference in the amount of food you eat.
Test-drive these portion control strategies to cut calories and ease up on
overindulging.
Steer clear of small packaged candies
In theory, fun-size candy bars should help you keep
portions petite. But tiny treats are always sold in multiples, and it's hard
stop at just one or two. Science backs that up: In a study conducted at the
University of Alberta, people ate more of a food when it was placed in small
packages than they did when it was offered in a regular-sized container.
Use big-box shopping trips to your advantage
Melissa Joy Dobbins, RD, founder of Sound Bites nutrition practice, calls
it the "Costco Effect"--if you want to eat more of something, make
sure a huge amount of it makes its way into your grocery cart or home.
"The presence and volume of it will make you eat more of it," she
explains. Instead of picking up a case of chocolate chips cookies, go big on
spinach, eggs, and other healthy eats when you hit up big-box retailers, she
suggests.
Don’t buy foods labeled “low fat”
When "low-fat" labels are placed on snack foods, they encourage people to eat up
to 50 percent more and take in 84 extra calories than they would if the claim
wasn't present, according to researchers at Cornell University. Consumers see
"low fat" and assume the food has fewer calories, the scientists
concluded. On average, study participants underestimated the calorie counts for
"low-fat" M&Ms and granola by 48 percent and 50 percent,
respectively. Low-fat labeling also caused them to increase their perception of
an appropriate serving size by 25 percent.
Add veggies for volume
"If you miss large portions, bulk up your dish
with non-starchy vegetables,"
suggests Erin Palinski, RD, CPT. "For example, adding large chunks of
tomato to a pasta dish allows you to see a bigger serving, but you are eating
less pasta and having more low-calorie high-fiber veggies." Produce can
also add volume to your plate. Fill half of it with fruits, vegetables or a
salad and you'll leave less space for higher-calorie protein and grains, says
Joy Dubost, RD, PhD.
Choose fragrant foods
The stronger your food smells, the less of it you
may need to feel satisfied. Subjects in a study published in the journal Flavour took
smaller bites of a vanilla custard dessert when they simultaneously sniffed an
intense cream aroma than they did when the smell was weaker. Pay attention to
the scent of your centerpiece, too. When obese and overweight people whiffed
green apples, bananas or after-dinner mints before a meal they ate less and
lost 60 pounds, on average, over six months, according to a study from the
Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.
Change your plate color
If you want to eat
less of something, your food shouldn't match
your plate--the monochrome colors make it look like there's less there. When
participants in a Cornell study ate pasta with Alfredo sauce on a white plate
or pasta with tomato sauce on a red plate, they served themselves 22 percent
more than participants who contrasted their food and plate colors.
Know your bowl or plate size
People ate 31 percent more ice cream--127 more calories' worth--when
they were given large 34-ounce bowls compared to 17-ounce bowls, according to a
study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Similarly, Cornell University researchers found that the larger your plate, the
smaller you'll perceive the portions of food being served on it.
Bonnie Taub-Dix, RD, author of Read It Before You Eat It, discovered that plate sizes have grown over the years. "I received a set of antique china, and first thought the dinner plates had been left out," she says. "Turns out they were there--but they were the size of today's salad plates." The takeaway: if you eat from a smaller plate or bowl, your brain believes you're eating more food.
If you need help learning what appropriate serving sizes look like, think about purchasing portion-control tableware, like Precise Portion's bowls, cups, and plates. Decorative lines divide out spaces for vegetables, meat, and grains or indicate how many ounces you're pouring into a bowl or glass.
Bonnie Taub-Dix, RD, author of Read It Before You Eat It, discovered that plate sizes have grown over the years. "I received a set of antique china, and first thought the dinner plates had been left out," she says. "Turns out they were there--but they were the size of today's salad plates." The takeaway: if you eat from a smaller plate or bowl, your brain believes you're eating more food.
If you need help learning what appropriate serving sizes look like, think about purchasing portion-control tableware, like Precise Portion's bowls, cups, and plates. Decorative lines divide out spaces for vegetables, meat, and grains or indicate how many ounces you're pouring into a bowl or glass.
Sip from taller glasses
Adults pour an average of 19 percent more liquid
into short, wider glasses than they do into tall tumblers, according to a study
published in the Journal of Consumer Research. Our brains tend to
focus more on an object's height than its width, so short glasses don't appear
quite as full, the scientists suggest.
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