New research published in the online Feb. 18 issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reports some promising findings for overweight individuals. Eating foods packaged in single servings may help overweight people eat less. Eating less means fewer calories, and hence the opportunity to lose weight.
University of Tennessee researcher Holly Raynor and colleagues wanted to know if single-serving packages would give people cues about what is considered an appropriate amount of food to eat.
As reported in Reuters Health:
Half the participants received a box of 20 single-serving packs of pretzels, each just under one ounce. The rest received two standard-size bags of pretzels, each 10 ounces. Researchers told everyone to take the pretzel bags home for four days, eating as much or as little as they preferred, then return them. Participants were also asked to fill out a form detailing when and where they ate the pretzels.
Overweight subjects who received the single-serve packages ate considerably less than those receiving the large packages.
The findings make perfect sense. People tend to eat more when served more and when eating from bigger packages. Single-serve packages offer built in portion control.
It is important, however, for consumers reading food labels to be able to understand what they are actually consuming. With the food labels getting a makeover, this will hopefully be possible.
As I've previously written here,, FDA has proposed that single-serve packages generally consumed in one sitting -- small bags of snack foods, a 20-ounce soda bottle -- be labeled as one serving. This will enable consumers to see the calories and nutrients found in the entire package, which most people eat.
I've been a big fan of single-serving packages and have recommended them to dieters trying to lose weight and gain an awareness of portion control. They have a built in stop sign which signals us to stop; this is important especially in today's world of supersize portions.
Take home message: Divide and conquer! Try buying single-serve packages when you can. Since many single-serve products cost considerably more than oversize packages, if you prefer to purchase a large package, I suggest repackaging the contents into single-servings. For example, when you open a large bag of pretzels, divide the contents into 1-ounce single-portions (approximately a fist full) and place them in small baggies. This way, when you crave a snack, you just grab a small baggie and resist the temptation of overeating.