The Mindless Solution

Do you eat mindlessly?  Most Americans, including me, are guilty of this and it can contribute to overeating and weight gain.  Dr. Brian Wansink, director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab (http://foodpsychology.cornell.edu/), has done a great deal of research on why we eat the things that we do.  He wrote the book Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think We Do.  I remember hearing about some of his research when I was in graduate school and it has really stuck with me.  You can listen to him talk about some of his research on his website (http://www.mindlesseating.org/) where he aptly says, “The best diet is the diet you don’t know you are on.”  He discusses mindless solutions to help you eat well.

Some of his tips include:

1. Replace larger bowls and plates with smaller ones to reduce the amount of food you eat.  People serve themselves 25-35% more food when using a larger plate.
2. Use tall thin glasses rather than short wide glasses to reduce the amount of beverage you consume.
3. Avoid eating family-style.  Instead put what you are going to eat on your plate and leave the extras in the kitchen out of arms reach.  If you have to get up from the table to serve yourself more you are less likely to do so.
4. Don’t eat snacks out of the bag/container.  Again, serve yourself a portion and put the rest back in the pantry/freezer/refrigerator.
5. Keep distractions to a minimum. We tend to eat more if we are watching television, driving our car, or talking to friends.
6. Keep food out of sight or at least out of reach.  Visibility and convenience are the biggest factors in eating.
7. Be aware we eat more when we are presented with more variety so limit the buffets if possible.
8. If trying to get your family/household to try a new food give it a great description. According to Dr. Wansink a detailed description of your food increases your expectations and will make any food taste better.