Ah, I'm stuffed!
Posted on 08/03/2006 12:53:18 PM PDT by Teflonic
Atlanta (August 2, 2006) — When it comes to choosing food bowls, you might want to follow Goldilocks’s lead and opt for the baby-bear serving, but not because of the temperature. What makes smaller bowls “just right” for most people is how they help control the urge to over-serve food, says Koert van Ittersum, assistant professor of marketing at Georgia Tech College of Management.
Smaller spoons also help stop people from piling on too much food, according to a study conducted by van Ittersum with Brian Wansink of Cornell University and James Painter of Eastern Illinois University. Titled “Ice Cream Illusions: Bowls, Spoons, and Self-Served Portions,” their study will appear in the September issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
The researchers believe their findings result from the human perceptual tendency to judge object sizes based on comparisons with neighboring items. Participants in the study, for example, served themselves 31 percent more ice cream when they were given a 34-ounce bowl instead of a 17-ounce bowl. Their servings increased by 14.5 percent when they were given a 3-ounce spoon instead of a 2-ounce utensil. When given both a large spoon and big bowl, they served themselves 56.8 percent more. Yet they were unaware of the greater ice cream quantities.
And these study participants were nutrition experts, a group one might expect to exhibit more moderation at food serving and consumption. The researchers invited eighty-five nutrition experts who didn’t realize they were the subjects of an experiment to an ice-cream social. “While it is not clear how accurate people are in estimating ounces and calories, it was believed that this group would be most accurate given their expertise in nutrition,” van Ittersum says.
When people over-serve themselves food, they’re likely to overeat, he notes. That’s because people eat an estimated 92 percent of the food they serve themselves. “If you want to lose weight, use smaller china and flatware,” van Ittersum advises. “While 4 ounces of food on an 8-ounce plate might look like a good helping, 4 ounces on a 10-ounce plate could seem skimpy.”
He believes these research findings have implications not only for those watching their weight, but also for the hospitality industry. Many experts have blamed expanding American waistlines on the growing size of restaurant food portions. Through the use of smaller plates, bowls and spoons, restaurants might be able to deflect such criticism while still convincing diners that they’re getting a good value, van Ittersum says. “Of course, you cannot push this strategy to the limit,” he says. “If people still feel hungry after they’ve finished their plate, you have a serious problem.”
Yeah, where's the "duh" alert? :)
Isn't it interesting how people actually get paid to do studies like this one?
Ah, I'm stuffed!
Personally, I think eating less is key to eating less.
Yeah and then call it "higher" education.
How about SELF CONTROL????
I always learn something on FREEPERS. Even some obvious information. lol.
imbecilic... I can eat more than one bowl
Anyone ever heard of *seconds* or *thirds*?
It reminds me of a Brian Regan routine about a container with both peanut butter and jelly in it. "I can't be opening all kinds of jars!"
"I can't be getting a second helping of cereal!"
I don't call it a "duh" because I'll eat what I want. If a small bowl of cereal satisfies, fine. Otherwise, I'll pour another. Same with forcing Super Size out of McDonald's. If I want the same amount of fries, I'll get them.
Does he/she mean 8" or 10" plates? Mine don't come in ounces.
It'll make their food look enormous!
LOL. Nice cup holder. Where was this picture taken? Outside of Tiffany's?
In my fantasy, I would consider that a Happy Meal, but given your reality, it appears to be much less so.
"EATING LESS FOOD IS KEY TO EATING LESS! WOMEN, MINORITIES HARDEST HIT!"
Wait a minute.... yoou mean if I eat less, I will lose weight?
For all it's easy to make fun of this study...I find it interesting how plate sizes have changed. I have a set of dinner plates I got from the thrift store...they're heavy old glass things, the plain sort with a line around the edge. They're also at *least* an inch smaller than the ones I typically see at stores, maybe more like two inches.
I still manage to eat more'n I should a lot of the time though. It might take more effort (gotta heap the plate or make more trips...), but it's doable. ;-)
I think putting less food in your mouth is the key to eating less.
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