by Maria Teresa L. Ungson
There are times when I go out I blurt out to my companion that ìfat is everywhere!î The food choices in a menu of a fast-food restaurant are fatty, salty or too sweet. Since temptation is everywhere, let me share with you eight factors that can cause overeating and weight gain: Go through this list, you may just realize why your efforts to lose weight arenít taking off as expected.
1. Sights, Sounds, and Smells
Overeating can be triggered by the alluring smell of bacon cooking, the sound of popcorn popping, advertisements for junk food, and so on. You are influenced by your surroundings, and our studies show these kinds of cues result in eating more food.
2. Distracted Eating
“Eating amnesia” is the act of almost unconsciously putting food in your mouth, usually from a big bag or bowl while sitting in front of the TV, reading a book, checking emails, or during happy hour.
It’s also easy not to register the tastes you take while cooking, or those last few bites from the kids’ plates that you finish off.
Multi-tasking can lead to overeating because you’re not paying attention to what you are eating. When you eat more mindfully, you really taste the food — and are more likely to feel satisfied sooner. Food should touch more of your senses to be satisfying, instead of just filling in an empty space.
3. Food Here, There and Everywhere you turn, there are opportunities to eat — at drive-through restaurants, vending machines, even gas stations. And when food is in front of us, we tend to eat more of it, experts say.
A study by Wansink and colleagues found that when candy was easily accessible on workers’ desks, they ate an average of nine pieces a day, and didn’t realize how many they ate. But when the candy was kept in their desk drawers, they ate about six pieces per day. And when they had to get up from their desks to reach the candy six feet away, they only ate four pieces.
Curb your instinct to overeat sweets and snacks by moving them out of sight — and putting more healthful foods into plain view. Resist the urge to splurge on unhealthy foods by carrying your own healthy snacks.
4. Food that’s Fast, Convenient and Inexpensive
Fast-food restaurants on every corner offering inexpensive food also encourage us to eat more and more often. Combo meal deals sound like a bargain, but they are loaded with fat, sodium, and calories.
Also, when you eat lots of fast food, it all starts to taste the same, and you can become satisfied with a small range of flavors and sometimes it is hard to get enough. To help yourself resist the temptation, work on developing a taste for the subtle, natural flavors of food.
Dietitians recommend limiting visits to fast-food restaurants to once a week and choose the healthier menu options — like salads and grilled chicken sandwiches — even if they cost a little more.
5. Portion Distortion
Our idea of a normal portion has become skewed, in part because so many restaurants serve oversized portions. Giant portions seem to have evolved into the norm, and many people have trouble understanding how much they should eat.
To understand what a portion should look like consult a nutritionist-dietitian to explain our local Food Exchange List to you or you could simply read the list, process what you read and consult a nutritionist afterwards. The Food Exchange List presents how large a serving or portion size of a certain food item is and what other food you can use as a substitute or for diet variation
Another answer to the portion dilemma is to eat more foods that are less calorically dense. These are foods that contain lots of water and fiber, but not many calories — like fruits, vegetables, salads, and broth-based soups. Researcher Barbara Rolls, PhD, and colleagues at Penn State University found that it’s possible to reduce calories without increasing hunger by eating more of these types of foods.
Mindful eating can help here, too. Eat slowly, taste the food and become more in touch with what you are eating and how it tastes so you can enjoy it more and start to appreciate satisfaction with smaller portions, Thereís even a restaurant in Makati that only serves small portions of their menu so that the client can get to taste more of what they have to offer without stuffing themselves unnecessarily.
6. Giant-Size Packages
You’ll find plenty of bargains on mega-sized packages at stores. But unfortunately, experts say, these giant containers can affect us on an unconscious level and cause us to eat more. Researchers have found that when you eat from a large container, you are likely to consume 25% to 50% more than you would from a smaller package — especially when you’re eating snacks and sweets.
First, try to get out of the habit of always eating something while you are sitting, relaxing, or watching television according to the American Dietetic Association. Try a cup of tea, glass of water, or chew a piece of sugarless gum. If you want a snack, portion it out of the bag or container or buy smaller packages.
7. Not-So-Dainty Dishware
Researchers have found that we tend to eat more when we’re served from larger containers. Wansink and colleagues found that when students were given food in larger bowls, they served themselves 53% more and consumed 56% more than those who used smaller bowls.
When you use smaller bowls, plates, spoons, and cups, you won’t feel deprived because the food will look more plentiful, Wansink says. Daintier dishware and smaller utensils can also help slow your eating.
8. Too Much Variety
A buffet restaurant can be a dieter’s nightmare. Too many choices encourages having a taste (or more) of everything, and before you know it, your plate runneth over. Too much variety on your plate at one meal can often mean too much food overall.
So, use variety to help meet your nutritional needs, but concentrate on the right foods. Eating a variety of foods is great, as long as the foods are low in calories and rich in nutrients — like fruits, beans, vegetables, broth soups, whole grains, and low-fat dairy.
