Plate Size Won’t Help You Lose Weight, Divulges Israeli Study

By Sephardic News Aug 16, 2018 01:14 PM

Pictured Above: Employees of the Abu Gosh restaurant prepare a 4-ton bowl of hummus with the goal of attaining the Guinness World Record title in 2010. The previous title owner was Lebanon, whose record was 2 tons of hummus. Photo by Rachael Cerrotti/Flash 90.

(JNS) If you’re still struggling to fit into a swimsuit, using smaller plate size to eat less and shed some weight is not going to help, according to a new study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers.

According to the study, published in the journal Appetite, the Delbouef illusion, which posits that people will identify sizes—like portion size—differently depending on the size of their receptacle does not apply to hungry people.

When food-deprived test subjects were given different-sized plates, they ultimately identified the same portion of pizza, debunking a theory that choosing a smaller-size plate may trick the mind into believing that the amount of food on it is ampler than it would seem on a larger plate.

However, the illusion held strong regarding other objects in the study, with test groups showing inaccuracies as the size of black circles and hubcaps were placed in unequally sized circles.

Researchers said this shows that the body’s urge to survive allows the brain to engage in superior analytical skills in order to protect from starvation.