Mindless Eating

Image by matysek

Brian Wansink has written a fascinating book called Mindless Eating.

It is how what is around us when we eat affects what (and especially how much) we eat. This includes things like the size of the plate, how much we put on the plate and what others around us are doing.

I don’t want this post to sound like it is going along with the obsession about weight so prevalent in the Anglo-Saxon societies. Within the usual weight range it is fitness that is more important than fatness. (If you are concerned about your weight focus on getting fit – this will benefit your health, and it may lead to weight loss too!). However, eating more moderately may well help towards greater health.

Brian Wansink is a professor of Consumer Behaviour at Cornell University. There is also a wikipedia entry for him.

There is a website for the book, www.mindlesseating.org, which contains some good information. Unfortunately you have to give your email address to get access. I guess you can unsubscribe later – this is what I do when people force me to hand over my email address.

The website is oriented to the US. It also has various bits of hype for sale (fridge magnets and whatnot). However it does have links to the original research articles and you can sign up for a free newsletter. There is also a link to Brian’s blog – bite size little bits and pieces (usually only a paragraph or three). I think it is well worth having a look at.

The great thing about this approach is that you can make a significant difference to how you eat in pretty easy ways.

Here are some tips from the Mindless Eating approach:

• Use a small plate.
• Take a small portion (you can go back for more if you want – but you probably won’t eat as much if you take small portions).
• Be the last to start eating.
• Sit next to a slow eater.
• Put your tempting foods out of site – cover them with something opaque like foil instead of something transparent like plastic wrap.

All these things make only a little difference on their own. But doing several and doing them long-term can make a significant difference. And their all quite painless!

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Tags: diet, eating, weight control