Eat Wise & Exercise

Are you a Mindful Eater?

In the book Mindless Eating — Why We Eat More Than We Think, Brian Wansink, Ph.D., uses science to explain how and why we eat. He conducted various experiments to help understand our eating habits. Here's a brief summary of those experiments that may shed some light on your own habits and may encourage you to make some changes:

The Candy Jar. A jar of candy was placed in workers' cubicles and then 6 feet away. Moving the jar resulted in the workers eating five fewer pieces of candy per day.

The Chips. Three groups ate chips out of canisters. For one group, every seventh chip they ate was red. Another group's fourteenth chip was red. A third group ate no red chips. The group with no red chips ate the most. The red chips served as a pause and a way to keep track of how many chips were being eaten.

Bowl size. One group was given a big bowl and one group was given a small bowl. They were asked to scoop ice cream into their bowl. Those with the larger bowl dished out 30% more ice cream than those with the smaller bowl.

Ten Tips to Eating Mindfully

Take at least 20 minutes to eat so your stomach and brain can communicate that you are full.
Pay attention to the first three bites of your food. You'll notice that after those initial bites, your food doesn't taste as good.
Eat and drink from smaller plates, bowls, and glasses. Trick your brain into eating less by eating dinner on a smaller plate.
Eat regular meals and snacks to avoid overeating later in the day.
Take your serving out of the container and then put the container away. Even if you go back for seconds, at least you'll be aware of eating multiple servings.
Eat away from distractions such as the TV, computer, office, driving, etc. Pay attention to what you are eating instead of what's on TV.
Get up from the table when you start feeling full. If you can't get up right away, cover your food with a napkin or push it away from you.
Serve yourself one plate. After one serving, put the leftovers away. If the leftovers are out of sight, you're less likely to take second helpings.
Avoid buffets because they promote overeating. We are conditioned to eat more to get our money's worth.
Take a smaller serving. Many of us over eat because we feel guilty leaving food on our plate, so don't have extra food on your plate to begin with.


Eat Wise & Exercise Home Easy Tracker (PDF Format) Contest Winners Past Weeks Experts Resources FAQ Last Year's Program Sponsored by LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke's employee health promotion program, Eat Wise and Exercise is a 10-week program from January 14 through March 23, 2008 — during the program you'll receive useful and practical information to improve your diet and exercise, and LIVE FOR LIFE coaches will keep you motivated. LIVE FOR LIFE at Duke Box 3200 DUMC 04290 Red Zone Durham, NC 27710 Phone: (919) 684-3136 Fax: (919) 681-0555 lflprogm@mc.duke.edu		LIVE FOR LIFE >> Eat Wise & Exercise >> Are you a Mindful Eater?
		Are you a Mindful Eater? In the book Mindless Eating — Why We Eat More Than We Think, Brian Wansink, Ph.D., uses science to explain how and why we eat. He conducted various experiments to help understand our eating habits. Here's a brief summary of those experiments that may shed some light on your own habits and may encourage you to make some changes: The Candy Jar. A jar of candy was placed in workers' cubicles and then 6 feet away. Moving the jar resulted in the workers eating five fewer pieces of candy per day. The Chips. Three groups ate chips out of canisters. For one group, every seventh chip they ate was red. Another group's fourteenth chip was red. A third group ate no red chips. The group with no red chips ate the most. The red chips served as a pause and a way to keep track of how many chips were being eaten. Bowl size. One group was given a big bowl and one group was given a small bowl. They were asked to scoop ice cream into their bowl. Those with the larger bowl dished out 30% more ice cream than those with the smaller bowl. Ten Tips to Eating Mindfully Take at least 20 minutes to eat so your stomach and brain can communicate that you are full. Pay attention to the first three bites of your food. You'll notice that after those initial bites, your food doesn't taste as good. Eat and drink from smaller plates, bowls, and glasses. Trick your brain into eating less by eating dinner on a smaller plate. Eat regular meals and snacks to avoid overeating later in the day. Take your serving out of the container and then put the container away. Even if you go back for seconds, at least you'll be aware of eating multiple servings. Eat away from distractions such as the TV, computer, office, driving, etc. Pay attention to what you are eating instead of what's on TV. Get up from the table when you start feeling full. If you can't get up right away, cover your food with a napkin or push it away from you. Serve yourself one plate. After one serving, put the leftovers away. If the leftovers are out of sight, you're less likely to take second helpings. Avoid buffets because they promote overeating. We are conditioned to eat more to get our money's worth. Take a smaller serving. Many of us over eat because we feel guilty leaving food on our plate, so don't have extra food on your plate to begin with.