Having problems with weight management? Eating too little or too much? Is this limited to your choice of food or something else? Apparently this has something to do with your utensils, as this new study indicates. Individuals who used big forks consumed less compared to diners who used smaller forks, on the condition of eating from a plate loaded with food.
For two days, researchers from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City monitored diners at an Italian restaurant during their lunch and dinner hours. To better monitor the study, the lead researcher and two assistants went undercover to serve as waiters. In this setting, the researchers assigned either large forks or small forks to certain tables and the assignment of forks were rotated after each meal.
The ordered plates of food were weighed on a food scale before being served to the diners. After the diners completed their meals, the plates whether empty or with leftovers were brought back to the kitchen and weighed again.
The results indicated that given a greater initial serving of food, on a well-loaded plate, diners with smaller forks ate far more than those assigned the larger fork. According to the researchers, this may be due diners feeling they have not eaten enough of their food when using the smaller for and thus not being able to satisfy their hunger.
Source: Minadezhda | Dreamstime
“The physiological feedback of feeling full or the satiation signal comes with a time lag,” explained the researchers. “In its absence diners focus on the visual cue of whether they are making any dent on the food on their plate to assess goal progress.”
On the other hand, when the diners were served smaller portions of food, the fork size did not seem to affect the amount of food consumed. This may be due to diners being better able to visually judge the amount of food consumed, while the same proves to be difficult when eating from a larger serving.
“People do not have clear internal cues about the appropriate quantity to consume,” wrote the researchers. “They allow external cues, such as fork size, to determine the amount they should consume.”
Perhaps if you are suffering from weight management problems, this piece of information can aid you. While the combat of weight problems largely depends on eating healthily and appropriate exercise, every little bit helps!
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