Mindless Eating

1. Mindless Eating Melissa Bess Nutrition and Health Education Specialist FNEP STAFF TRAINING ONLY, DO NOT USE WITH FNEP PARTICIPANTS 07/2007

2. Outline • Introduction • Mindless margin • The forgotten food • Surveying the table-scape • Hidden persuaders around us • Re-scripting your dinner • The name game • In the mood for comfort food

3. Outline • Nutritional gatekeepers • Fast food fever • Mindlessly eating better • Questions? • Fad Diets

4. By Brian Wansick, Ph.D. http://www.mindlesseating.org

5. Introduction • We make over 200 food decisions each day! • Food is a great pleasure in life, not something we should compromise. • We need to shift our surroundings to work WITH our lifestyle not AGAINST it. • The best diet is the one you don’t know you are on.

6. Mindless margin • Why do we overeat foods that aren’t good? • 2 studies: • Stale popcorn – those with larger buckets ate 173 calories more than those with medium buckets • Same meals, same wines. Different labels, different reactions.

7. Mindless margin • 100 – 200 less calories a day would prevent weight gain in most people • We probably won’t miss these calories • Cutting out favorite foods = bad idea • Cutting down on how much we eat them is do-able

8. Mindless margin • Strategy #1 – • Think 20% less when you start your meal, probably won’t miss it • For fruits and veggies = think 20% more

9. The forgotten food • Study on chicken wings – clean plate, clean table, get more, eat more. • Orange jumpsuits in prison = weight gain because they don’t notice 1 lb a week gain • We eat the volume we want, not the calories • Parisians stop eating when no longer hungry, not when plate or glass is empty

10. The forgotten food • Strategy #2 – See all you eat • See it before you eat it • Put snack on separate plate and leave box in the kitchen • See it while you eat it • Leave empty glasses on table, leave food on plates without clearing food

11. Surveying the table-scape • We consume more from bigger packages, whatever the product • We think we get more from tall, skinny glasses than short, wide glasses • Bigger bowls = bigger servings • We eat more when there is variety

12. Surveying the table-scape • Strategy #3 – Be your own table-scaper • Mini-size boxes and bowls • Use mid-size or small plates, rather than large • Think slender with glasses • People tend to pour 30% more into a wider glass than a slender one

13. Hidden persuaders around us • Visibility – people will eat more candy from a clear dish than a white one • Make healthy foods easy to see and less healthy foods harder to see • Move candy dish further away, convenience = impulse

14. Hidden persuaders around us • Strategy #4 – Make overeating a hassle, not a habit • Leave the serving dishes in the kitchen, put salad and veggies on table • Put tempting foods in the back of the cabinet or in a basement, inconvenient • Repackage jumbo sizes into smaller containers • Hide the extras from view • Reseal packages. Tape works better than a clip

15. Re-scripting your dinner • Be the last to start eating • Pace yourself with slowest eater • Leave some food on your plate, helps avoid one more serving • Think about how much you will eat before the meal • Ask breadbasket to be taken away or other side of table

16. Re-scripting your dinner • Pick two rule: appetizer, drink, dessert – pick only two • Best part of a dessert is the first 2 bites • Strategy #5 – Create distraction-free eating scripts • Distract yourself before you snack • Eat snacks in only one room • Dish out how much you want before you eat • Minimize distractions

17. The name game • We taste what we think we will taste (strawberry vs. chocolate yogurt) • Lemon jello with red food coloring, said it was cherry, no one suspected it • Menu names and descriptions, lead to more appeal and tastier • Presentation is key • Brand loyalty

18. The name game • Strategy #6 – Create expectations that make you a better cook • Add two-words that are descriptive to the name of the meal or food (Cajun, homemade, succulent) • Spend time on prepping the atmosphere – soft lights, soft music, tablecloth, nice glasses, etc.

19. In the mood for comfort food • Comfort food connections are subconsciously formed

20. In the mood for comfort food • Strategy #7 – Make comfort foods more comforting • Don’t deprive yourself • Keep comfort foods, but in smaller amounts. • Pair healthier foods with positive events. Celebrate with strawberries and a small bowl of ice creams rather than a chocolate brownie sundae.

21. Nutritional gatekeepers • Gatekeepers controls food decisions • Children start learning what they like and don’t like before 4 months old, due to cues and reactions by parents • Use positive associations with foods to make children more likely to eat them

22. Nutritional gatekeepers • Strategy #8 – Crown yourself as the official gatekeeper • Be a good marketer • Offer variety • Use the half-plate rule – half the plate should be veggies and fruits, the other half protein and starch • Put snacks in containers and hide extras

23. Fast-food fever • Healthy restaurants = free reign? • Reduced fat or low fat really better? • 10-20 rule • Thin drinks = about 10 calories per ounce • Thick drinks = about 20 calories per ounce • We underestimate the calories we drink by 30%

24. Fast-food fever • Strategy # 9 – Portion size me • Healthy restaurants – not everything is always healthy, watch the extras • Think small, or share • Food companies could create packages with pause points – i.e. Every 7th Pringle chip is colored a different color • Adding air or water can add volume but not calories

25. Mindlessly eating better • Eating better means different things to different people • Reengineer your food environment • Food trade-offs – I can eat X if I do Y, I can have popcorn at the movie, if I have a healthy salad for dinner, etc. • Food policies – No 2nd helpings of X, never eat in front of the tv, only half-size desserts, etc.

26. Mindlessly eating better • The power of three • Three small 100 calorie changes per day is do-able • Takes 28 days to break a habit • Keep a log or checklist, so you don’t forget • The best diet is the one you don’t know you’re on

27. Questions?