Scientists offered 188 young women the same oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies. The labels listed either 130 or 260 calories per cookie, and they had a brand name that was either considered more healthful (Kashi) or less healthful (Nabisco).
The women ate more cookies when they were labeled as Kashi than when they were labeled as Nabisco. What’s more, the women ate more when the cookies were labeled as having 130 calories each than when they were labeled as having 260 calories each.
What to do: Be wary of labels that might give you license to overeat.
Source: Appetite 2014. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2014.06.100.
Other relevant links:
- Serving and package sizes influence how much food we eat. See: Why Do People Overeat?
- Factors such as descriptions, colors, and the way food is served influence how much we eat. See: Tricks for Eating Less
- How to calculate the amount of calories you should eat to maintain your weight. See: Your Calorie Target to Maintain Weight