According to the study published in the Journal- Appetite, turns out, tricking your brain into eating less by serving food on a smaller plate doesn't necessarily work. According to the new study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers, when people are food-deprived, they are more likely to identify a portion size accurately, no matter how it is served. A new study debunks the popular diet trick on the Delbouef illusion that predicts people will identify sizes differently when they are placed within a larger or smaller object.
According to the researchers, plate size doesn't matter as much as we think it does. Even if you are hungry and haven't eaten, or are trying to cut back on portions, a serving looks similar whether it fills a smaller plate or is surrounded by empty space on a larger one.
In the first study to examine the way food deprivation affects perception of food in different contexts, researchers found that people who hadn't eaten for at least three hours were more likely to identify the proportions of pizza placed on larger and smaller trays correctly than people who had eaten recently.
This only worked when applied to food. As per the researchers, hunger stimulates stronger analytic processing that is not as easily fooled by the illusion. When people are hungry, especially when dieting, they are less likely to be fooled by the plate size, more likely to realise they are eating less and more prone to overeating later.
Here are some diet tips you must follow when you are trying to lose weight:
- Load up on fibre, which includes vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains. Eating fibre rich foods help keep you fuller for longer.
- Toss away the added sugar, especially from sugary drinks, which is one of the major reasons to gain weight. Avoid eating baked goods, candy and soda that contain a lot of added sugar and are super low on nutrients.
- Minimise distractions like watching television, doing something on your phone or talking to someone. Distraction can make you eat more than you actually need. Always sit quietly and eat your food to know exactly how much you have eaten.
- Have a protein rich breakfast that includes eggs, oats, veggies, et al to stay energised through the day. Increasing protein intake in the morning will also help you avoid snacking and improve appetite control through the day.
- Cut back on refined carbs like sugar, white flour, pasta and bread. These types of fibres are low in fibre, are digested quickly and only keep you full for a shorter period.
- Avoid fad diets. These diets promise to help you lose weight in a few days; however, these diets do not include healthy eating habits.
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