A new study conducted by the Tilburg University in Holland, revealed that mini-sized snack packets can lead to eating more than you could ever think of. This study has emerged at the right time when both kids and youth have begun to indulge in unhealthy snacking habits like chips, biscuits, sweets, etc. Infact, munching on such unhealthy snacks in front of television screens have grown much popular as of today thereby leading to the problems of childhood obesity and the like.
The new research also points out that these mini-size snack packets can be very deluding for the customers because is can keep convincing people that they are not eating much or gaining many calories because they come in small sizes after all.
Scientists distributed both large and small sized packets of chips to about 140 students they told that they were experimenting for an advertisement for the television. Each student was given either two 200g of chips packet or nine 45g of chips packets to munch on while they sat in front of the television screens.
The students were asked many questions and at the same time their weights were measured by making them stand in front of a mirror. This was consciously done to trigger a kind of diet mindset.
Results of the experiment showed that students who were more conscious about their weight, ate double the time when the chips came in mini packets than in larger packets. It was also reported that students began to open and eat the smaller packets as soon as they came instead of attacking the larger packets immediately.
It was seen that almost 60 percent of the students immediately opened and began eating the mini snack packets s against a quarter of them who did the same for bigger packets of chips. Hence, students eating from mini snack packets were neither concerned about their weight and neither did the small packets seem to satisfy their appetite.
Researchers from the Tilburg University opine that these “diet sized” packets can be creating the illusion of dieters keeping their limits of calorie intake which does not really happen.
As researchers are left skeptical as to why companies are coming out with such products that are not really helping consumers. Instead, such min-sized diet snacks are supporting the increase of obesity especially in children as reports suggest that one in every four Briton is obese.
School canteens, outlets around colleges and schools have to be regulated in such a way so as to control the obesity epidemic which is being fueled by these mini snack packets sold around campuses.
