I came across an interesting article the other day, written by my idol, Brian Wansink and Collin Payne. Dr. Wansink is the director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, which conducts a number of fascinating studies on why people overeat. You may have heard of the stale popcorn study, for example.
Anyway, this article was about a study on eating behaviors of obese vs. non-obese customers at Chinese buffet restaurants. They found that patrons with high BMIs were more likely to use larger plates, and less likely to use chopsticks vs. forks or to browse the buffet before serving themseleves vs. taking food immediately. Leaner people left more food on their plates and chewed more per bite of food than heavier people.
While this was an observational, correlational study not without limitations, it couldn't hurt to try the following strategies the next time you visit a buffet:
1.) Use only small plates
2.) Browse the entire buffet and then decide which items you want to eat, rather than piling on anything that looks good as you go.
3.) Use chopsticks, even if you're not that good at it.
4.) Chew slowly
Reference: Wansink, B., Collin, P.R. (2008)Eating behavior and obesity at Chinese buffets. Obesity, 16, 1957-1960.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/samsmith/
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