It is well understood that it is not the amount we consume, but also the caloric intake-the food energy in the portions served-that makes weight control difficult. Until recently however, the role that food energy density plays in children’s psychological response has been unproved. A study conducted by the Agricultural Research Services (ARS) and the Children’s Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) in Texas revealed that large serving portions of energy dense foods at meals equates to a considerably larger caloric intake consumed by U.S. preschoolers.

Average portion sizes both inside and outside the home have been increasing since the 1970’s. Previous findings from research studies found that doubling the portion size of a preschooler’s entrée would increase the child’s total calories by 15 to 39 percent for that meal. For the CNRC study, 53 children were selected from the Houston area-28 girls and 25 boys, aged 5 to 6 years old who ranged widely in body mass indexes.

At the beginning of the study the researchers recorded the weight and height of each child and noted their food preferences. Over the next four weeks, researchers served a special macaroni and - cheese entrée. Children were served one or two-cup portions that were prepared with either a traditional-energy density of 1.3 kilocalories per gram or a high-energy density of 1.8kcal/gram by adding extra fat.

The study’s results showed that children ate one-third more entrée calories when either the energy-dense or the larger portion versions were served.

Additionally, the most calories that were added to the meal were when the energy dense and larger portions were combined, thus increasing the calories consumed for an entrée to 75%.

The findings from the study presents new evidence towards the idea that energy density and portion sizes act additively to increase the intake of meals among preschool-age children.

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