Can we trick our minds into thinking we’re not hungry?
After a set of experiments, a British researcher has concluded that portion control is a matter of perception. If we believe a meal will be filling or remember it was the last time, it will be – and that belief might inform those who label food.
"Light" and "diet" foods could be relabeled as "satisfying" or "hunger relieving," said Dr. Jeff Brunstrom, a University of Bristol researcher, who presented his findings at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior.
He showed some study participants the ingedients of a fruit smoothie. Those who were shown a larger portion of fruit reported significantly greater fullness, even though they ate the same amount as the other participants.
In another experiment, researchers increased and decreased the amount of soup in participants bowls as they ate. Three hours later, participants "remembered" the amount of soup in the bowl and not how much they actually ate when they rated their fullness.
Think these experiments would work on you? Would a different label?
Associated Press photo