IT'S TRUE - our eyes really are larger than our stomachs. Through a cunning experiment, scientists have proved that human beings are terrible at judging how much food is enough.
They provided a free soup lunch to 54 people, half of whom ate from a normal bowl, half from a seemingly identical bowl attached, via invisible tubing, to a soup cauldron. Unaware that their bottomless bowls were being constantly refilled, this second group consumed 73 per cent more soup, and 113 more calories, during their lunch. When asked afterwards, they rated themselves at the same fullness level as the diners who had eaten much less.
This shows that people use their eyes to count calories, not their stomachs, says the lead researcher, Brian Wansink, a professor of nutritional science at Illinois University. Since we appear to judge our food by visual cues, such as an empty bowl, he proposes repackaging foods into smaller containers so that more of us will think we've had a satisfying full serving.
The United States food regulation agency is already on the case. Americans are so prone to eating enormous helpings that it has announced plans to provide portion advice on pre-packaged food labels.
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