Watch those portion sizes!

A number of studies using different types of food have shown that by increasing the portion size of a food, there is a significant increase in energy intake at that meal.

In other words: when we serve up more food, we eat more food!

A recent study by nutritionists at Pennsylvania State University investigated whether or not these episodes of overeating would then be compensated for by subsequent reduced intake, or whether repeatedly serving large portions would lead to a persistent increase in energy intake.

No prizes for guessing the latter occurred. The researchers found that over a two-day period, when portion sizes were increased by 50%, total energy intake increased by 16% and when portion sizes were increased by 100%, total energy intake increased by a massive 26%.

Source: Journal of the American Dietetic Association, April 2006