Mindless eating

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We all do it from time to time. Some of us may do it every day. In front of the TV, while driving, at the movies, or at our desks, we sometimes find ourselves eating without really paying attention to our food. There is a whole body of research dedicated to understanding how and why we eat mindlessly and how to prevent the frequent consequence of this habit- overeating. The Cornell Food & Brand Lab, headed by Dr. Brian Wansink, is foremost among the centers doing this kind of research.

Wansink's studies have found that, regardless of our physiologic hunger level, external cues can encouge us to overeat. Some of these cues are now becoming well-known. Portion size is a good example. By now, many people have heard that serving food on smaller plates is a good strategy. This nugget of wisdom likely came from Wansink's research, which have shown that people will eat more from larger containers, even if the food isn't particurly appetizing- as was the case in his stale popcorn study. In addition to portion size, we are also influenced by the proximity of food and the variety of food available (think about eating at a buffet).

I found the two videos below particularly interesting. In the first, patrons of a diner are served large breakfasts on 2 separate days. On the second day, they are blindfolded. This video illustrates the influence that seeing food on a plate has on how much we eat. In the second video, my pal Brian Wansink describes an experiment in which office workers are allowed access to a candy dish which is sometimes placed on their desks and sometimes placed just a few feet away. This video highlights the importance of proximity. 

Now that you know how you may be tricked into eating more by your surroundings, you can use this information to your advantage. Use small serving dishes, don't keep snacks and candy lying around in plain sight and within reach. Just making it a little less convenient for yourself to eat for eating's sake may be enough to lead to noticeable differences in your diet and ultimately, your body. Finally, when you do eat, try to minimize distractions and really pay attention to your food. Smell it, chew it slowly, and savor it. Take a breath or two between bites. Ask yourself periodically if you are still hungry, and if the answer is no, stop eating. As a culture, we have learned to ignore our internal cues for eating and instead focus on the external ones. It is possible to reverse this behavior, but it takes some practice.