Study: Snack size determines how much you eat

Ate more of the big salty pretzels

The results showed that people eat large pretzels faster and take larger bites than when a bowl of smaller pretzels is placed in front of them.

The researchers also observed that the people who were served small salty pretzels generally ate more slowly, took fewer bites and ate a smaller amount overall.

When the researchers compared the participants’ intake of large salty pretzels with small or medium-sized salty pretzels, they found that participants ate 31 percent more of the large pretzels compared to the smaller ones, and participants consumed 22 percent more of the large pretzels compared to the medium-sized ones.

This was consistent with the observation that the largest pretzels caused subjects to eat faster and take larger bites.

“Our study indicates that the texture of food – texture, size and shape – can be used to influence both eating behavior and food intake,” explains one of the researchers behind the experiment, John Hayes, who is a professor of food science and director of the Sensory Evaluation Center in a press release

He further explains that the choice of a specific size in connection with the shopping of snacks may in the future become a tool to help people eat less.