The more food that is put in front of you, the better the odds are that you will overeat or, at least, eat more than you might otherwise. Generally, this is common knowledge, but some researchers put it to the test by giving people both good and bad tasting foods. Specifically, while one group of participants got varying sizes of freshly popped popcorn, another group was given 2-week old stale popcorn (described as "perfectly safe, just a bit funky"). The results proved the theory, when fresh popcorn eaters ate 43% more popcorn when it was served in a large container and stale popcorn eaters ate 34% more.
If the taste of a food isn't enough to stop people from eating it, it's best to control the size of the container that it's in. So do yourself a favor and use smaller plates and bowls, especially for snacking. Or fill up a bowl with healthy fruits and veggies for munching.
Exact portion size can be difficult to determine without measuring (which is an option), but there's too much variation in all those guidelines that compare portion sizes to, for example, the size of a fist. When in doubt, just take a little less that you think you should. At the very least, you'll be eating one less bite at a time - and over time, even a small change like will add up.
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