New research reported in the May issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found what I have been preaching for years and in my book The Portion Teller Plan : to cut back on how many calories you eat, try eating a smaller portion! In this study, which looked at candy size, the researchers found that slicing candies in half caused subjects to eat less of the snacks, and ultimately fewer calories.
Subjects–college students–were put in one of 2 groups: in one, 20 pieces of candy were served whole. In another, the 20 candies were cut in half. During both tests, people ate about the same number of pieces. Those who ate the larger pieces, however, consumed about 60 calories more than those who ate the smaller pieces.
Interestingly, no substantial differences were found in the groups regarding hunger, how much the test subjects liked the candies, and whether they ate candy on a regular basis.
Here is the take home message: if you want to eat fewer calories, try cutting your portion. And, skip the over sized packages of candy, chips, and soda. Say no to the jumbo king size candy bar, or split it with several friends.
