To Eat Less, Eat One-Pot Meals

Here’s a weight-loss tip: the amount of food you eat is determined by the number of different foods on your plate. Want to eat less? Serve one-pot meals. Here’s how we know: Researchers at Cornell University served 20 college students buffet-style meals three times a week for two weeks. The students were randomly served an entrée and two side dishes (chicken, a vegetable and a carbohydrate such as rice or potatoes), a low-carbohydrate meal (chicken and a vegetable) or a vegetarian meal (a vegetable and a carbohydrate) in a buffet and told to take as much or as little as they wished. Next, the researchers served the same foods prepared either individually or in a stir-fry (onions, corn, carrots, peas and broccoli) or a pasta dish (onions, celery, tomatoes, penne pasta and cauliflower).  A Cornell news release reports that the students ate significantly more when the foods were served separately versus as a composite meal. Read more from Cornell.