Using a bigger fork could help you lose weight
Common sense would suggest if we use a smaller plate we will eat less, but who knew the same rule applied to using a larger fork?
Common sense would suggest if we use a smaller plate we will eat less, but who knew the same rule applied to using a larger fork?
You’d think the larger our fork the more food we can fit into our mouths, but according to new research into how bite sizes affect how much we eat, the bigger the fork the less we consume.
Researchers Arul and Himanshu Mishra and Tamara Masters from the University of Utah conducted a study in a popular Italian restaurant using two sets of forks - the larger holding 20 per cent more food than the average size utensil.
Over the course of two days the researchers randomly selected tables to receive either unusually large forks or smaller forks. They weighed each plate of food before it went out to each customer.
At the end of the meal the plates were weighed again with findings suggesting that those who used the bigger forks ate less of their food than those using the smaller.
The restaurant diners felt that using the smaller fork stopped them making significant progress towards their goal, resulting in them eating more of the food on their plate than those who used a large utensil.
Researchers concluded: ‘Given people’s busy schedules and the growing trend of eating in restaurants, consuming from a larger fork may actually be more helpful in controlling over consumption.'
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