Study: Kids Take, Eat More with Big Plates

Kids eat more food when it's served on larger plates, a new study suggests. The study included 42 first graders. They were served lunch at their school cafeteria. Half got their food on smaller plates and half on larger plates. The menu was either chicken nuggets or pasta with meat sauce. Side dishes were applesauce, mixed vegetables and bread. The drink was milk. On average, kids using larger plates served themselves about 90 more calories. They didn't eat all of the extra food, but they did eat about half. Overall, they consumed more calories than kids using smaller plates. The children served themselves more fruit and more of the main dish on larger plates, but not more vegetables. The journal Pediatrics published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it April 8.

By Henry H. Bernstein, D.O.
Harvard Medical School

What Is the Doctor's Reaction?

Things these days just seem to be BIG. Huge sports utility vehicles (SUVs) are a common sight on the road. Large drinks are on the menu at restaurants. Big screen TVs are in many homes. So have you noticed the size of the dishes being used now? Americans are even using larger plates and bowls.

Studies have shown that adults using larger dishes serve themselves more food, and eat more. Does the same thing happen with children? In a new study, researchers created an experiment to find out.

They studied 42 first-grade children at a school in Philadelphia. The researchers observed the children during school lunch on 8 different days. The children were given either child-size or adult-size dishes. The menu had chicken nuggets for 4 of the days and pasta with meat sauce for the other 4 days. The rest of the menu was the same:

• Applesauce and mixed vegetables as the side dishes
• A drink of milk
• A portion of bread

The researchers found something very interesting. Compared with children who used child-size dishes, those first graders who used the adult-size bowls and plates:

• Served themselves more calories
• Ate almost half of the extra calories they served themselves
• Ate more total calories
• Chose to take more chicken nuggets, pasta with meat sauce, and fruit
• Did not take more vegetables

The main finding was that children ate more calories when they used the larger adult-size dishes. It did not make a difference how old the children were or whether they were boys or girls. Results were similar no matter how much the children weighed or what their body mass index (BMI) was.

What Changes Can I Make Now?

It is important to control portion sizes for your children. As this study showed, using child-size plates and bowls at home can help. You also can learn more about portion sizes. Oversized portions lead to weight gain. Here is a guide from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to help you (and your children) see what the right serving size is.

There are lots more ways parents can help to make sure their children keep a healthy weight:

• Encourage physical activity. Insist on playtime! Make physical activity fun for your child. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends at least one hour a day for children.
• Be good role models. Parents play a key role in helping their children become more physically active. If you are active, your children will follow your example.
• Form healthy eating habits. Create a home where healthy choices are on hand and encouraged. The AAP recommends:
  • Cooking healthy meals together as a family
  • Regularly eating meals together as a family
  • Eating breakfast every day
  • Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables every day
  • Eating low-fat dairy products such as yogurt, milk and cheese
  • Limiting fast food, take-out food and restaurant meals
  • Eating a diet rich in calcium
  • Eating a high-fiber diet
• Limit screen time. Children spend too much time watching TV, using the computer or playing video games. The more time your child spends in front of the screen, the less time he or she is outside being active. The AAP recommends keeping total screen time to no more than two hours per day.
• Avoid sugared drinks. Sugar-sweetened drinks add too much sugar to the diet and too many calories with little (or no) nutritional value. Instead, encourage a child who is age 2 or older to drink water and low-fat milk. Some 100% fruit juices are OK, too. The AAP recommends that children have NO sugared drinks.

What Can I Expect Looking to the Future?

Expect your child's doctor to point out the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle. This includes both good eating habits and regular exercise. Expect schools also to encourage a healthy lifestyle. Schools should offer only healthy foods and drinks in the cafeteria and in vending machines. They also should promote healthy physical activity before, during and after school.