Eating sorbet helps residents eat bigger meals.

Nursing home residents who have a sorbet appetizer tend to eat more at mealtime and maintain their weight, according to findings from a small study.

Twenty-two residents consumed two ounces of a non-citrus beverage before dinner for six weeks and then ate two ounces of lemon-lime sorbet instead for six weeks. 

Participants ate significantly more at mealtime while on the sorbet regimen, the researchers found. Overall, 18 participants gained or maintained weight, and four lost weight. 

The theory is that sorbet stimulates salivation better than typical beverages. Findings appear in Geriatric Nursing