Being Happy With Less

The supersizing phenomenon and ballooning portion sizes are considered a major player in the startling rise of obesity rates in the last few decades.  But before you get discouraged, there’s new research that suggests we can turn this around.

A study in the April edition of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that exposure to smaller food portions can actually recalibrate people’ perception of how much is enough.  In the study, volunteers ate either a larger 440 calorie quiche and salad, or a smaller portion of half the calorie content of that same meal.  The next day, volunteers were told they could eat as much of the same quiche and salad combo as they wanted.  A week later, the same diners were asked about their portion size preferences.

The result?  The volunteers who ate that smaller portion the first day led them to consume less the next day.  And this startlingly quick and simple switch seemed to stick, as these same volunteers said they were satisfied with the smaller portions a week later.

This study suggests that if fast food chains, restaurants, mini marts and the like started reducing portions, even hard core Big Gulpers would start considering the smaller sizes the “new normal,” and help the entire nation start to win the battle of the bulge.

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