Today in class we talked about portion control, and the fact that in general when more food is given, more is eaten. That made me consider another factor that could also determine not only portion control but how much you eat. Plate sizes vary from the size of a CD, to an entire platter, so could the size determine how much you consume?
A study showed that those given larger portions at lunch were more likely to consume up to 30% more food than those given smaller portions. The experiment was done by taking 51 randomized men and women and giving four groups all different portions of the same meal for lunch for a total of four weeks. This trial was a randomized control trial, but it was not double blind because certain amounts of food had to be given to different people. Also there could have been other factors that determined how much was eaten, such as various metabolisms and how much food people were used to consuming.
When portions are bigger, generally plate size will also be. There is a stigma with some people about “cleaning your plate”, and when that plate is bigger there will be more food that people are forcing themselves to consume. This shows that more food gets consumed when bigger plates are given, namely at a buffet of some sort. If there is more room to stack onto your plate, there is more of a chance that you will eat more.
Another factor that determines portion control is how people perceive how much they eat. A poll showed that 94% of people believed that plate size/portion size did not change how much they eat, when in reality at least 30% more food is consumed with larger portions. Plate sizes have increased with portion sizes along with cooking recipes, in the last supper the depictions of the plates have grown by 69%.
There have recently been published works to try and discourage the increase in plate size, mostly diet books. These books say that smaller plates mean less food, and from what has been studied it seems that way. But there is also the possibility that this could be reverse causation, that the bigger intake of food has caused larger plates and not vise versa.
Over the years the human species has evolved, and in turn gotten bigger, which may be one of the reasons humans have been eating more. That cannot be used as an excuse though, obesity is a growing problem in today’s world, and it is evident that humans do not need to consume a completely astronomical amount to satisfy our evolved versions needs.
So next time you go to a buffet, look at the plate sizes. If you see a smaller plate, it might be in your best interest to use that one instead. 
We usually eat certain amount of food on a daily basis due to different people. When I was back in China, the plate size is smller than it is in America. And I find out that I eat a lot more and gain weight in America quickly but remains unchange in China. So plate sizes do affect how much we eat because we want to finish the food we have in order not to waste it. But there will be situations that a restaurant use big plates but serve little food. In this case, people tend to order more dishes and eat more. Secondly, people tend to eat more when they are under heightened pressure. For me, I tend to eat more before exames. And these could be considered the third variables that cause people to eat more.
The way I see it is that we aren’t fish. Personally, I eat until I’m full. If the plate is smaller than I’ll simply get another serving until I am full enough. But after looking at this post and putting my biases to the side, you’re spot-on. A couple of things however:
Everyone wants to be skinny right? That’s just the way it is. This could mean that a lot of these studies whose confirmation biases about food intake result in the Texas sharp shooter effect. Third variables are at play as well. After a long day, or if we know we’re going to the gym later, we may tend to eat more. This stigma goes hand-in-hand with the “cleaning up your plate” concept that you mentioned before.
Buffets are a whole different animal to tackle. Small plate or large, the food is always there. It would be interesting to compare food intake at a standard restaurant compared to a buffet, or even at a fast food eatery where the food is especially cheap to access. Good blog post, I very much enjoyed reading it!
I think plate size has a big influence on how much we consume. When I get a bigger plate for bigger meals, I feel inclined to eat all of the food. I feel like when there is more food on the plate people do not want that to go to waste so they try to finish all of it. Even the food might be really good so you keep eating more of it even if you’re full. With small plates I tend to put smaller portions on the smaller plates because that’s just the association I make between amount of food and plate size. I feel like as humans this is just what we do and with bigger plates we try to fill the whole plate up.
The Delboeuf illusion is the reason why we consume more while using larger plates. Kendall Higgins’ comment above does an excellent job explain the Delboeuf illusion. She said, “If you put the same amount of food on two different sized plates the bigger plate will have more empty space. When you see that empty space, you automatically associate it with less food. When a plate looks full, you are more likely to feel visually satisfied.”
How much food is on your plate will definitely effect how much of it you eat. I feel like some people feel forced to finish what is on their plate, especially if it was given to you by someone else or at a restaurant. I went to Italy two summers ago and the portion sizes their are no bigger than a fist sometimes. AT first glance it looked so small but when I finished I did not find muse,f still hungry. When I came home and went to an Italian restaurant and I was given five times as much pasta, I felt it was a disgustingly amount of food. There is some movie (sorry I forget what it is called) where the man is trying to loose weight so he blind folds himself while eating. This made him stop eating when he was full not just when he finished all of his food.
I think plate size does influence how much food we consume. I know that if I have a big plate, I am going to fill it up with more food because the portions look smaller then they really are. Using a smaller plate will make it seem like I might even have too much food on my plate. Personally, if i have a bigger portion I try to eat as much as I can because I do not want to waste all that food, or just merely because the food is really good. I think using smaller plates will help people consume less because a smaller portion will fit on the plate.
Plates size definitely influence how much food we consume. My nutrition teacher gave the same advice to simply use smaller plates. It has to do with the appearance. If you put the same amount of food on two different sized plates the bigger plate will have more empty space. When you see that empty space, you automatically associate it with less food. When a plate looks full, you are more likely to feel visually satisfied. Here is an article I found on ABC News that further discusses plate size and the color if you’re interested!