Mindless Eaters

The truth is we eat too much.  Not only do we generally eat the wrong types of food as in too many carbs, too many refined and processed foods, and too much junk food... But we also eat too much quantity. 

I have spoken before about eating mindfully, but this actually goes beyond that. Brian Wansink, PhD And author of "Mindless Eating and why we eat more than we think", has spent years studying human behavior in relation to food.

It turns out we generally eat more than we need just because it is there.  Certain situations mean there is no end to what we can eat and most of us could not quantify what we have just eaten if asked.  A lot has to do with our surroundings, where we were at the time of eating, what we were doing whilst eating, and what our brains perceived about what we were eating. 

Here are several examples:

Cinema goers were given stale popcorn, some in medium sized containers and others in large sized containers. The popcorn was free for all those who went to a certain showing of a certain movie on a certain day and ate certain time, every attendee had their own popcorn, no-one had to share.  At the end of the movie the leftovers were collected and weighed.  Even though the popcorn was stale, the attendees still ate it, with those with the large containers eating the most... If it's there it will be eaten.

A restaurant was divided into two.  Diners  on the right hand side of the restaurant were given a complimentary bottle of California wine from a "new" winery. Those on the left were given the same wine but with a different label on the bottle stating it was from a new winery in North Dakota.  No one has ever heard of wine coming from North Dakota (no-one produces wine in North Dakota).  At the end of the meal more wine from the fictitious North Dakota winery was left over and when questioned diners said that they didn't like the wine that much.  Those on the right hand side of the restaurant, tool longer to finish their meal and lingered over their wine from California, enjoying their after dinner conversation.

Another trial was done to assess how much we eat if we can gauge the amount.  I'll explain; when we sit in a restaurant or at any table for that matter we cannot gauge how much we have eaten if we cannot see any left overs. For example, if you eat all your burger and fries there is nothing visibly left to prove you've eaten, however, if you eat chicken wings or something similar with bones that leave a trace... Then it is easier to gauge how much you have eaten.  Several college students were invited to watch a Super Bowl game at a bar and were offered free chicken wings and soft drinks while the game lasted.  The waitresses were told to only clear half the tables during the game.  On every table there was a bowl in the middle for the students to pile up their chicken bones.  The waitresses regularly cleared the bone bowl on half of the tables, but didn't change the bowls at all on the remaining half of the tables.  By the end of the game the students who didn't have clean tables had eaten 28% less chicken wings as than those with the clean tables.

You see, most days we aren't even aware of how much we have eaten.  But that isn't the only problem, because of this lack of awareness we also eat too much food.   This mindless eating, at the movies, at our desks, in front of the TV, means we just keep eating until our stomachs are full.  Is being full necessary or could we stop sooner?  The Japanese have a saying for this:  hara hachi bu—eating until you’re just 80 percent full. 

It takes 20 minutes for our brains to register we are full, so if you stop when you've had enough instead of when you can't eat anymore then you will be doing yourself a favor. It would be very easy for people to manage their weight if they thought about their food before actually eating it.  Am I hungry?  Do I really need to eat this?  Have I eaten enough?

Quite often I hear of people  who have lost weight by reducing the size of the plate they eat from.  A smaller plate filled with food is more satisfying than a large plate with a small amount of food on it.  The person believes he or she has eaten a large portion of food because the plate was full.  If you eat the same amount from a large plate you'll tell yourself you can't have had enough to eat because the amount was so small.

Other people are capable of losing weight without even realizing how they did it just because we don't contemplate a lot of our choices.  One woman lost weight after giving up caffeine and switching to herbal teas and lost 20lbs in 2 years... All she had seemingly done was to give up caffeine, so why the weight loss? When questioned about this she didn't know why either until she realized that in giving up caffeine she had also given up drinking sodas... Less sugar, less weight.

There is so much we can do for ourselves and our weight management just by being more mindful of what we are eating and drinking and the way we feel.  When you serve your food, try putting a little less on the plate or use a smaller plate.  Ask yourself if you are no longer hungry during a meal instead of waiting for the full feeling, or mindlessly finishing everything on your plate.  Be more considerate to yourself, your body will thank you for it.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

How to stick to a diet

How many times have you grabbed a sandwich while on the run between meetings, or eaten a chocolate bar on the way to pick the kids up from school?  Most of us are on such tight schedules nowadays that food isn't even thought about, but is left to an automatic response to what ever is put in front of us at the precise moment we have a few minutes available to eat something.  More often than not we don't even think about what we are eating when swallowing it.

If we payed as much attention to our food as we do to other things in our lives, lots of people wouldn't have weight issues or health problems.  I often hear that someone has gained weight during pregnancy and then found they put even more weight on after giving birth, because they were running around after the kids all the time, and snacking on the kids' leftovers before going on to eat an evening meal with their husbands.  Or you meet up for coffee with a friend who orders a coffee and cake, and you automatically order the same.

A lot of people with weight issues just aren't designating enough time to thinking about what they are doing to themselves.  And, this isn't just happening to people with weight issues but to most of us.  We don't stop and think and most of the time we don't even remember what we've eaten afterwards.

Mindfulness is something I have read a lot about applied in many areas to life.  According to the Wikipedia:

Mindfulness or awareness is a spiritual or psychological facility that, according to the teaching of the Buddha , is considered to be of great importance in the path to enlightenment.  It is one of the seven factors of enlightenment.

 Mindfulness when eating means that you are truly aware of what you are doing and what you are eating.  You should focus on your food and only your food and when chewing, really savor the flavors and textures and even imagine how the food's nutrition content is going to favor your mind and body.  For example, focus on the vitamins and minerals in fruits and vegetables that will benefit your immune system.

Anyone on a diet knows how difficult it is to stick to a restrictive regime, and how easy it is to be lead astray even by one's self, you need to start thinking about what you are eating and the consequences:

1. What are your triggers?  We all have moments or temptations that lead us to break a diet.  As I said before, you meet a friend for coffee and have cake just because she's ordered some.  Those tempting chocolate bars at the check out in the supermarket when you're rushing to do the shopping before picking the kids up from school and you haven't had time for lunch.  Relax time in front of the TV in the evening when the kids are in bed are a real killer.  However, it isn't just the temptations around us all day, we also eat to be polite, sociable and to keep others company and to show our appreciation.  We also eat differently depending on who we are eating with; if your companion is a fast eater, you will tend to eat quicker too.  This is a real danger as eating quickly does not give your gut the chance to send the correct messages to the brain that you are full, so you tend to eat more than you would if you were with someone who eats slowly.  Over the next week, take stock and write down every situation when you eat without thinking or aren't even hungry.
2. Be aware of your eating patterns.  There are several questions you can ask yourself and the answers will give you guiding information as to how you can change from mindless to mindful eating.

• Are you a grazer?  Do you snack or nibble without being hungry or even deciding to eat?  That sliver of left over pizza, the handful of peanuts, the children's leftover dinner all contribute to many people's weight gain or regain after a diet.  The constant stream of 50 calories here, 100 calories there over months and years will make you gain weight.  You only need an extra 100 calories a day (that's a chocolate biscuit or a sliver of cheese) to gain 10 lbs in a year.
• Do you eat until hunger disappears or until you are full and can't eat any more?  There is a huge difference between the two, however, many of us have lost the ability to distinguish between being "satisfied" and "full up".
• Do you clean your plate or leave food on it?  Lots of us were educated to eat everything on our plate even though we had already had enough.  It is quite hard to switch off something that has been taught from childhood and we may also teach our children the same way.
• Do you taste each mouthful or do you "inhale" it?  There are lots of people out there that literally inhale their food at high velocity!  If you rush food you aren't being mindful and you won't enjoy it as much, and undoubtedly you will eat more than you need.
3. Stock your kitchen according to your goals.  This is a very important one, especially if you have small children in the house.  If you are on a diet to lose weight and still need to buy some biscuits, puddings, etc because of the little ones in the house, then hide them from view.  I love chocolate and have little ones at home.  I don't need to lose weight, but I do try to eat healthily on a daily basis, I also try to teach my children the basics of healthy eating.  However, my youngest goes to a school where his mid morning snack is dictated by the school: Monday = biscuits, Tuesday = Dairy, Wednesday = sandwich, Thursday = fruit, and Friday = what ever he wants.  I keep the children's biscuits, etc as far out of reach as possible for the whole family.  In my case I leave them in the store room in the basement.  If I'm hungry at night and fancy a nibble on something, the basement is cold and two floors down from my bedroom.  The kitchen is closer, and I always make sure there are strawberries or melon in the fridge for a late night snack.
4. Downsize your portion sizes and avoid leftovers.  
• Don't leave open packets on the kitchen counter or within easy reach in the fridge.
• Use smaller packets and plates; a serving that looks lost on a large plate will fill a smaller one and mean that you will feel satisfied but eat less.
• Choose tall, thin glasses.  Research shows that people pour more into short, fat glasses than into taller, slimmer ones.
• Cook the right amount for the number of people attending the meal.  Try and not have leftovers to tempt you later on - especially if dessert is involved!
5. Learn how to eat mindfully.

• Stop and think before you eat and rate just how hungry you are on a scale of 1-10 to give you a sense of what your body really needs.
• Be aware of what is on your plate, read the ingredient list and the fat, sugar and calorie content before deciding whether or not to eat it.  Better still, make all meals from scratch using fresh produce - that way, you'll know exactly what you are eating.
• Always sit at a table to eat.  Take time to smell and savor your food.  Take small bites, chew it well and put your fork down between mouthfuls to give yourself time to appreciate what your are eating and how it makes you feel.
• If you are at a dinner party, find the slowest eater and sit next to them, their slow eating habits will make you slow down too.
• Don't read or watch TV when eating.  Distractions take your mind off the task at hand and you will inevitably eat more.
• Only eat when you are truly hungry, if you fancy eating something, stop and think if you are really hungry, if you are, then choose something healthy, a piece of fruit or a small handful of raw almonds.
• Make meals that are fresh and colorful and appetizing to the eye, brain and digestive system.

Social Nutrition:  You can make an appointment to improve your health with Social Nutrition either in person (Madrid) or online (Skype).  Just send an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com