How much chocolate would you need to eat to be
satisfied? Less than half as much as you think,
according to this recently published Cornell
University snacking study.
Using chocolate chips, apple pie, and potato chips,
researchers Ellen van Kleef, Mitsuru Shimizu, and
Brian Wansink designed a study to determine if
people who were given smaller portions of snack
foods would feel hungrier or satisfied fifteen
minutes after eating.
Two groups with different portion sizes were tested.
The larger portion size group was given 100g of
chocolate, 200g of apple pie, and 80g of potato
chips, all slightly larger than the recommended
portion sizes. This equaled 1370 calories in snack
foods. The other group was given 10g, 40g, and 10g
of these same foods respectively, for a total of 195
calories. The two groups were given as much time to
eat as needed, and were asked to fill out surveys to
rate the liking, familiarity, and boredom with the
food. They were also asked to rate their hunger and
craving before the food was presented and fifteen
minutes after the taste tests ended.
The results remarkably showed that smaller portion
sizes are capable of providing similar feelings of
satisfaction as larger ones. Those given larger
portions consumed 77% more food, amounting to 103
calories more, but they did not feel any appetite
enhancing or stronger feelings of satiety than the
group with the smaller portions. Overall these
findings reflect the importance of portion size.
While larger portions result in increased food
intake, smaller portions may make you feel equally
satisfied. The smaller portions can lead to a
decline in hunger and desire that would help people
limit their food intake. So, next time you are
craving a snack food, remember that you can feel
similarly satisfied with one handful as you would
with two!
Van Kleef, Ellen, Mitsuru Shimizu and Brian Wansink
(2013). Just a bite: Considerably smaller snack
portions satisfy delayed hunger and craving, Food
Quality and Preference, 27(1):96-100
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950329312001188
(MDN)
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