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The vast majority of us have no idea what we're eating half the time, according to Brian Wansink, director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University and author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think (2006, Bantam). We don't even know when enough's enough. In one study conducted by the Food Lab, moviegoers who had eaten within the previous hour were handed a free bucket of popcorn, either in giant-size or medium. Although everyone should have been full from their earlier meal-and half of the participants were given two-week-old popcorn (ick!)-they all chowed down.
The folks who had the larger buckets consumed significantly more popcorn, even if they were given the stale batch. The bigger the container, it seems, the more we eat. "Cues can short-circuit a person's hunger and taste signals, leading them to eat, even if they're not hungry and even if the food doesn't taste good," Wansink says in the Nov. 2006 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine. Here are some of his tips for mindful eating. 1. People who shop at discount stores eat up to 48 percent more. If you buy snacks in bulk, portion them out into smaller containers or baggies. Never eat directly out of the box.
2. The longer we spend at the table, the more we'll eat. Dine with a friend and you're likely to consume 35 percent more. Hang out with a group of seven and that number jumps to 96 percent. If you're trying to shed some pounds, eat alone or with the smallest group possible. Alternatively, pace yourself with the slowest eater at the table.
3. Pre-plate your food in the kitchen, rather than serve yourself a smaller portion at the table and then go for seconds. You'll wind up eating 14 percent less.
4. Unless they're filled with vegetables, don't leave serving dishes on the table. They'll only act as a visual cue for you to eat more.
5. At a buffet, only put two items at a time on your plate. Even if you have to make additional trips, you'll end up eating a lot less. ::O, The Oprah Magazine
Difficulty level: Easy
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