Most of us swear that we're not influenced by the size of the bag, plate, or cup. But research at Cornell's Food and Brand Lab begs to differ.
In fact, most of us live up to the expectations set by our portions (or Depression-era grandmothers concerned that we "clean our plates"). Unfortunately - we clean our plates - no matter the size.
Our appetites are driven not by a need to satiate a feeling of hunger, but a sense of accomplishment. "I ate it all!"
In one Cornell experiment, a soup bowl is connected to a hidden tube on the bottom. With each successive spoon slurped by the subject, the bowl is replenished with more soup. The result? The majority of subjects continued eating the "bottomless bowl" of soup with little notice.
Solution? Smaller plates, smaller bowls, smaller portions. Throw half of it away the minute you open the bag - or buy smaller bags.
Leftovers? Saving it for later? Trash it - or don't buy such large portions in the first place. It all ends up in the same place anyway...
