Many of us like to snack between our meals and now a new study has found that small snack portions may be just as satisfying as larger ones.

US scientists set out to determine if people who were given smaller snack portions would still feel hungry 15 minutes later or would they be satisfied.

Over 100 people were divided into two groups and were given three common snack foods - chocolate, crisps and apple tart.

One group was given larger portions - 100g of chocolate, 80g of crisps and 200g of apple tart. This amounted to over 1,300 calories.

The second group was given smaller portions - 10g of chocolate, 10g of crisps and 40g of apple tart. This amounted to just under 200 calories.

Both groups were given as much time as they needed to eat the foods. Their hunger and craving levels were rated before they consumed the food and 15 minutes after they finished.

The study found that people eating the smaller portions were just as satisfied as those eating the larger ones. Overall, those who had larger portions consumed an average of 77% more food, but they did not feel any fuller 15 minutes later compared to the other group.

According to the scientists from Cornell University, the findings show that people who consume larger snack portions are eating more food overall when a smaller portion may satisfy them just as much.

"This suggests that 15 minutes after eating a considerably smaller snack, people will have eaten much less but will feel equally satisfied," they said.

They urged people who are craving a snack to opt for a smaller portion in future.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, Food Quality and Preference.