Two Hundred Times a Day: See, Think, Eat

This is the third and final part to the Mindless Eating trilogy, with a tip of the hat to author Brian Wansink. The theme today is the link between the eyes, the brain, and the mouth. The more of a food we see, the more we eat. Simple enough in concept, but is it supported by the facts?

Food-habit research has taken on the challenge. A study of office workers discovered key truths around the omnipresent candy dish. Seventy-one percent more candy was consumed from glass candy dishes than from white ones. The more visible the food, the more was eaten. In another study, food wrapped in clear plastic disappeared far more quickly than the same food in aluminum foil. Additional research yields similar findings.

We are faced with more than 200 choices about food each day: whether or not, what, how much to eat? Those choices are driven by our thoughts. Our thoughts are affected by our senses. The more of a given food we see, the more we think about it, and the more often we choose to eat it. I have been testing this concept at home, and have developed some promising new habits.

Many foods have been out of view for years: we don’t keep chips, cookies, or ice cream on hand. Other foods I consider staples, and they are always in the house. Some—like peanut butter or cold cereal—are easy for me to over-indulge. I started putting the PB in the frig, behind the plain yogurt and skim milk. I moved the cold from a clear jar to an opaque canister, behind the rolled oats. Voila! I don’t think about those foods nearly as often, and sometimes I go all day before deciding to indulge a modest serving.

It’s not all about saying “no.” I also want to eat more fruits and veggies. The last few weeks, I have set a small bowl of each on the counter, in full view: grapes, cherries, snap peas, carrots, baby tomatoes. By dinnertime, I have finished them off. It is easy to munch these healthy foods, much as I used to munch candy from the dish on a co-worker’s desk.

How might this finding work in your life? Do you think more about the foods you see? Does each “no” build momentum toward caving in to “yes” later on? What foods deserve a place at the back of the shelf? What should be sitting in the foreground? Are there some you find safer if left in the store? How do you want to try it out this week?

Until the next time, go well.

Pam
www.wellbuddies.com