The more you see, the more you eat!

A new study conducted by researchers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has found that visual cues control food intake.

A new study conducted by researchers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has found that visual cues control food intake.

The researchers led by Brian Wansink served a free soup lunch to 54 adults, half of whom ate from normal 18-ounce soup bowls, while the other half ate from identical bowls that were slowly refilled through tubing connected to out-of-sight soup cauldrons. Those who ate out of the refilling bowls consumed 73 percent more soup than did participants who ate from the normal soup bowl during the 20-minute lunch.

Although they averaged 113 more calories than those eating from normal bowls, those eating from the bottomless bowls believed they consumed the same number of calories as the other participants and rated themselves as being no more full. "People use their eyes to count calories and not their stomachs. This can be dangerous to our diets," Wansink said. He added that because we appear to judge our food intake by visual cues, such as an empty bowl, people worried about overeating should carefully consider the size of portion servings in restaurants and in their kitchens.