Mindless Eating

I love to read and recently I heard about a book called Mindless Eating:  Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink.

This is a really interesting book.  I got it on audio from my local library and have been listening to it on my commutes to and from work.

There are a multitude of things I'd love to share with you but I'll give you just a few today.

I'll paraphrase and quote some of the book.  This is all the author's work and not my own.

He talks about the fact that we have Eating Scripts.  These are habits we have around eating that we've done over and over again such that we're on automatic pilot.  The author calls these "The icebergs of our diets".

For example, my typical morning eating script is wake up, dress, have coffee and oatmeal while I check email until my son is ready to snuggle. 

The thing is that some of our scripts we're well aware of and some we're not.

Some of our automatic scripts are to stop eating when:

You're full
When the food is all gone
When you're out of time
When your dining companions are done eating

Stopping when you're full is great but the others, well, not so much.

Another pitfall is that we're highly influenced by our environment.  Family and friends can influence what and how much we eat.  Other people you're dining with can also set the pace for what, how much and how quickly you eat. 

"In the excitement of conversation we forget how much we've eaten.  Eating is like shopping.  The longer you stay at the mall, the more you buy.  Just so, the longer you stay at the table the more you tend to eat".

So the author suggests we Re-engineer and Re-script our dinner.

"Try to be the last person to start eating at the table.  Pace yourself with the slowest eater at the table.

Avoid the “just one more helping” request and temptation by always leaving some food on your plate as if you’re still eating.

Pre-regulate consumption by deciding how much to eat prior to the meal instead of during the meal".

Here are some really interesting statistics about just how much dining with others influences our eating behavior.

"On average if you eat with one other person you’ll eat about 35% more than you otherwise would.  

If you eat with a group of seven or more you’ll eat nearly twice as much, 96% more than you would if you were eating alone at the Thanksgiving card table in the other room.

If you get a reservation for a table for four.. you’ll eat 75% more calories".

So why do we do it?  He says it's the power of norms.  "Large groups create their own norms for food consumption.  The average number others eat suggests the amount we eat".

Think about it this way, if you're a slow eater and you go out with others you're more likely to eat quickly.

However, if you eat rapidly then it would probably benefit you to eat with others because you're more likely to slow down.

It's definitely food for thought.  I went out with my son to Olive Garden today and he is about the slowest eater I've ever seen.  Admittedly I first thought "Oh gosh, we're going to be here forever!" but then I remembered what I'd read and I said to myself "I don't have to work today.  There's nowhere we have to be.  We have the time.  It's okay.  I'm slowing down".  

And you know what?  It was a really decadent experience.  I think that's how it feels in Europe too.

They're doing it right, taking time to enjoy their food and giving their bodies time to digest and their brains time to register it.  

Of course it's not always possible for me at work but I'm going to try and be more mindful of this when I'm not.  I certainly don't want to pass on unhealthy habits to my son and I want to promote my own health and good habits.

So today I hope you create time in your life for at least one slow, relaxing and truly enjoyable meal.