What if it was all just a matter of perception? In any case, this is what a scientific study suggests, which reveals a very simple trick to learn how to reduce the quantities of food taken during the day without even realizing it.
We too often forget that eating well also means knowing when to stop. A balanced diet is based both on a choice of varied foods, but also on proportions of food adapted to their nutritional needs. When we have a few extra pounds more often than not, it’s not really the foods we eat that are the problem but rather the quantities we consume on a daily basis (and sometimes also the time at which we eat them).
To finally manage to eat less without depriving yourself, there is however a simple science trick to be continued. It is found in a Chinese study which looked at the food preparation and plating to succeed in reducing the quantities of food easily, and, most importantly: without the risk of being hungry.
Testing their theory on a panel of 34 volunteers who had to assess the quantities of food, the researchers proved that the arrangement of the food impacted the perception that the participants had of the quantity of food on the plate. Based on 60 different images of 9 or 16 more or less scattered pieces of chocolate, the volunteers did not notice that the amount of chocolate was exactly the same in each of the images viewed. Shared in the review Food Quality and Preferencethe results of this study prove that it is enough to dress your plate well to eat less without feeling frustrated.
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How to present your meal on your plate to eat less?
Based on the findings of this investigation, care should be taken to 2 essential things when preparing your plate before eating. Already, it is important to cut more food in order to have more pieces on his plate. “When portion sizes change, consumption changes unconsciously, even though people are free to choose foods” indeed explains the study, which concludes that a person ultimately judges the quantity of a serving by focusing on the number of foods and not on other factors such as their size.
Then it would also be necessary to space the pieces well from each other so that they take up more space on the plate because “as the density decreases, the estimated quantity increases accordingly”. The same portion of food would therefore seem more satisfying thus cut and distributed on the plate. Far from being fads, these training habits even affect our feeling of satiety when we eat. “Perceived portion size affects satiety and expected intake, potentially influencing food consumption behavior.” confirms this study. Something to eat less without ever feeling hungry or frustrated!