How much children eat depends on how much you give them. The larger the portion size, the more they eat. And if you let your children self-serve their meal portions, they tend to take the right amount for their age and size.
When children are given double the amount of food appropriate for their age, they eat 25% more food and increase their energy intake by 15%. The children's bite size increases. In other words, each time they take a bite of food they shovel more food into their mouths. The number of bites they take remains the same as when given an age appropriate amount of food. When the children select their own portion size, they eat 25% less than when given the larger portion sizes.
In preschool children, larger portion sizes result in increased food intake - more than the children need. Allowing children to select their own portion size is best - they take what they need. Avoid giving your children too much food. If still hungry, they can always ask for seconds.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 5/03
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