One lesson most of us learned too well as youngsters: Clean your plate.
It seems almost nobody can stop eating at just one normal serving if there's extra food on their plate, researchers have shown.
This tendency to belong to the Clean Plate Club is one of the prime contributors to the American obesity epidemic.
The bigger the portion, the more the participants ate in a study at Pennsylvania State University. On average, adults ate 30 percent more from a five-cup portion of macaroni and cheese than from one half its size. And the adults did not report feeling any fuller after eating the heftier portion.
The lesson: learn what normal serving sizes look like and pay attention to how much you put on your plate.
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SERVE THIS!
A guide to food serving sizes
Food |
Serving Size |
Equivalent |
Meat |
2-3 oz. |
Deck of cards |
Cooked pasta |
1/2 cup |
Ice cream scoop |
Cheese |
1.5 oz. |
Pair of dice |
Cereal |
1 cup |
Large handful |
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