Dieters who want to limit what they eat could have an unlikely
ally - big forks.
Diners who use them eat less than those with smaller forks, according to a study.
Researchers at the University of Utah in the US assessed the impact
of bite sizes.
The two-day experiment was conducted in an Italian restaurant. Tables were set with either a bigger fork or a smaller one - holding
20 per cent more and 20 per cent less food than the restaurant's regular size.
Each plate of food was weighed before it went out to a customer
and when it came back to calculate how much food was left over. Diners given bigger forks ate less, leaving more on their plates.
The authors of the study found that fork size helped diners see how far along they were toward finishing.
With smaller forks, they did not feel much progress was being made so they put greater effort into satisfying their hunger
- by eating more.
Co-author Mr. Mishra said: "The fork size provided diners with a means to observe their goal progress. The physiological feedback of feeling full or the satiation signal comes with a time lag. "
The study was reported in the Journal of Consumer Research.