September 1/Ithaca, N.Y./Cornell University -- A low-calorie lunch is believed to fight craving for food, resulting in a loss of weight by 11kg in a year.

Researchers from Cornell University have observed 17 women who were asked to eat as much food as they can from a buffet arranged for three weeks, but it should not exceed the limit of 250 calorie in whole. In next two weeks, the participants were divided into two groups and one group was asked to pick any food package out of the six packages availed.

The packaged food was supposed to be eaten at lunch, and participants were free to have anything from the buffet for the rest of the day. The results of the three-week study revealed that the group, which consumed lunch comprising of 250 calories, had reduced weight by 500g in two weeks and did not have an increased appetite while having other meals.

The research, published in the journal Appetite, revealed that people could reduce weight without undergoing restrictive dietary system, by only controlling the calorie count while lunch helped in controlling the weight.

As per Carly Pacanowski, a doctoral student at Cornell University, "Making small reductions in energy intake to compensate for the increasing number of calories available in our food environment may help prevent further weight gain”.

From the September 1, 2011,Prepared Foods' Daily News.