Size Does Matter!

by: AndreaDow
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Word Count: 251

Size does matter when it comes to the plates and bowls you use to eat your meals. You likely guessed it, but the smaller the plate the better. It seems that we eat more, regardless of our hunger level, if served more food on a bigger plate than less food on a smaller plate. No wonder America is gaining weight when eating in restaurants.

So you would think people experienced in nutrition would know this rule about size matters. Unfortunately, this was not the case with a study involving 85 like minded nutrition gurus from a Midwestern university. This study was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2006. Subjects were invited to attend an ice cream social. Who can say no to that invitation?! Subjects at the event were randomly given a 17-ounce or 34-ounce bowl and a 2-ounce or 3-ounce scoop to serve themselves ice cream. To determine how much ice cream was consumed, bowls were weighed before and after consumption. The subjects using larger bowls served themselves a whopping 31% more ice cream than those using the smaller bowls. Those using the larger serving scoops served themselves 14.5% more ice cream than those using the smaller spoons regardless of bowl size. Overall, this amounts to 57% more ice cream consumed by those using the larger serving pieces compared to the smaller bowl and scoop. Ironically, even these nutrition experts were unaware that they had served themselves more. Lesson learned: downsize your dinnerware and dessert dishes!

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