Mindless Eating, by Brian Wansink
Read About Why People Eat More than They Think
Don't be blissfully unaware of how eating habit dynamics affect your health and waist line. Mindless Eating reveals why people eat as they do.
Losing weight and/or eating healthier are two of the top new year's resolutions made each year. Actually following through is another story, which makes finding methods to maintain willpower and stick with it critical. One such resource is Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More than We Think (Bantam Books, 2006) by Brian Wansink, Ph.D.
Mindless Eating explores the hidden psychology of eating and reveals what makes people eat more. Wansink is a food psychologist and director of the Cornell University Food & Brand Lab, and has researched the hows and whys of people’s food choices.
More than a “dieting book,” Mindless Eating assesses eating habits and some of the invisible cues that encourage and discourage noshing and eating too much.
Understanding Why
Anyone who has ever been concerned about their weight or health has probably spent some time thinking about food. Whether actively dieting, watching pregnancy weight gain or post-baby weight loss, or trying to look a certain way for a special occasion, just about everyone has altered their eating habits at some point.
Primarily, Mindless Eating provides readers with information to help them make choices and stop and think before they eat. Instead of just a monotony of facts like “100 extra calories each day add up to 10 pounds a year,” Mindless Eating moves between nutrition research and specific insights for recognizing why someone might have a second helping of pasta despite feeling full.
Some Subconscious Eating Cues Are:
- Not everyone at the table is through eating. Most people don’t want someone to have to eat alone so they will have an extra roll or helping.
- Distracted consumption such as in front of the television. Eating or drinking while watching television, talking on the phone, reading, or listening to the radio gives people something to do with their hands, and is correlated with higher caloric intake.
- The clock says it is meal time. Even when not hungry, if it’s typical “lunch” time most people will eat again.
What to Do About It
These habits can be turned around. This is actually easier than it sounds because just like mindless eating habits cause weight gain, they can also be weight loss tips.
For example, in Mindless Eating Wansink points out:
- The reverse is true for the “out of sight, out of mind” principle. Put away the soda cans and candy dishes, and take out water bottles and bags of pre-cut and pre-washed fruits and vegetables.
- Use the 20 percent principle: 20 percent less pasta or meat and 20 percent more vegetables. Feel full but on leaner foods. Instead of cutting out comfort foods or depriving yourself of favorite snacks, emphasize making healthy choices.
- See it before you eat it. Portion out food on plates or eat out of individual-sized bags instead of the serving bag. It’s more difficult for your eyes to be bigger than your stomach if you look at everything you plan to eat.
Going Further
Changing eating habits and losing weight can be daunting tasks that are best accomplished with help. Involve a friend, spouse or family member, or join a support group. Similarly, healthy cookbooks abound for every taste or circumstance and making tangible goals like eating one vegetable at every meal will help. Mindless Eating is just one tool and a first step.
