Why cutting up your food could keep you thin

Good news for dieters: According to new research at ASU, humans enjoy their food more when it is cut into pieces, eliciting greater satiation than a single, uncut portion of food. The study was highlighted recently on The Huffington Post.

"A sample of 301 college students was given a bagel uncut or cut into quarters," writes Sarah O'Meara. "Twenty minutes after the bagel was consumed, subjects were told that they could eat as much or as little from a complimentary lunch. Any leftover bagel and test meal was then recorded.

"Subjects who received the single, uncut bagel ate more calories from both the bagel and the test meal than those who received the multiple-piece bagel."

Lead author Devina Wadhera said, "Cutting up energy-dense meal foods into smaller pieces may be beneficial to dieters who wish to make their meal more satiating while also maintaining portion control."