After a big restaurant meal, you’re stuffed — but then the dessert cart comes around, and you simply have to get that exquisite chocolate mousse. Or you’re checking emails while eating on a large bag of chips, and when you look up, the bag is empty. Does this ring a bell?
Experts argue that environmental factors such as package size, portion size, the variety of food supplied, and the size of your plate all influence your eating habits more than you know. Indeed, there would be no obesity crisis if we just ate when we were truly hungry and ended when we were satisfied.
Sounds, Sights, and Smells
The seductive fragrance of bacon cooking, the sound of popcorn popping, commercials for junk food, and so on can all induce overeating. “You are influenced by your environment, and our studies demonstrate that these kinds of cues lead to eating more food,” says Brian Wansink, Ph.D., Cornell University researcher and author of Mindful Eating.
Eating While Distracted
“Eating amnesia” is the process of putting food in your mouth practically unknowingly while sitting in front of the television, reading a book, checking emails, or at happy hour, usually from a large bag or bowl. It’s also easy to miss the flavors you’re tasting as you cook, or the final few nibbles from the kids’ plates you finish. Because you’re not paying attention to what you’re eating when you’re multitasking, it might lead to overeating. When you eat consciously, you have a better sense of what you’re eating and are more likely to feel filled sooner. “Food should engage more of your senses to be satisfying, rather than simply filling a void,” Moores argues.
There’s Food Everywhere
There are food options wherever you look, including drive-through eateries, vending machines, and even petrol stations. Experts claim that when food is in front of us, we prefer to eat more of it. When candy was readily available on workers’ desks, Wansink and colleagues discovered that they ate an average of nine pieces each day and didn’t notice it. They ate roughly six pieces per day while the candy was kept in their desk drawers. They only ate four pieces when they had to get up from their desks to reach the candy, which was six feet away. Take i am i fat quiz right now.
Reduce your desire to overeat sweets and snacks by removing them from sight and replacing them with more nutritious items. Carry your own nutritious snacks to fight the impulse to eat bad items. Fast-food establishments on every corner that serve cheap food urge us to eat more frequently. Combo meal offers may appear to be a good price, but they are high in fat, sodium, and calories.
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