Environment
Here are the ground rules: Don’t eat in front of the computer or television, because the more distracted we are, the more we tend to eat. Keep your food out of reach because the more convenient and visible that bag of chips is, the more likely you are to reach for it — continuously. And eat with soft lighting and music.
Like mentioned above, the music will affect your mood, and your mood will affect how many bites of that cheesy pasta you take. Research also suggests that if you remove the bright, harsh lighting in your dining area and replace it with warm, white LED bulbs, you — like the subjects of Cornell University’s research — might find yourself eating 18 percent less.
If you’re especially prone to overeating, beat yourself at your own game by putting up a mirror in your dining area. According to researchers at Iowa State University, “something as simple as a mirror on a refrigerator” is all it takes. In their study, diners who ate in a room with a large mirror consumed less fatty food than those who couldn’t see themselves.
Imagination
Most of us assume that thinking about eating will automatically lead to eating more, but in reality, the reverse is true. A study published in Science showed that after you’ve imagined eating a certain food, you’re less likely to want to eat it. This doesn’t work if you simply picture the food. You really have to imagine what it would look like and taste like when you eat it.
The researchers believed this happened due to habituation. “To some extent, merely imagining an experience is a substitute for actual experience,” said one of the researchers Joachim Vosgerau. “The difference between imagining and experiencing may be smaller than previously assumed.”
When you are eating, remember to enjoy every bite. In fact, it’s been proven that when you slow down and focus on every bite of food, you recognize when you’re full, so you can stop before you reach the point of overeating. This is called mindful eating, and has been shown to cut down on a person’s calorie intake. What mindful eating also does is allow you to chew your food more thoroughly, which means you’ll experience fewer digestive issues as a result.
Limit your options, too. In a recent study of 70 children between the ages of 11 and 12, researchers from the University of Bristol found that familiarity with food products made children feel fuller and led to a reduced portion size. Dr. Charlotte Hardman, one of the report’s authors, said: “Presenting children with a wide variety of different snack food products may make it difficult to predict their fullness. Our study suggests that if parents choose to give snack foods to their children, they may wish to stick to the same products.”
Finally, here’s a trick we could all use: Make sure to keep fruit, vegetables, and other healthy food around at all times, even though you don’t necessarily eat it. When it just sits there while you’re scarfing down that pizza, it will subconsciously register and make you a better eater. Researchers from Cornell University in fact found that even when you don’t choose the healthier option you have available, just having it in front of you means that you’re more likely to make healthier choices.
In a study they conducted at a school cafeteria, the Cornell researchers placed sugary meals like applesauce and fruit cocktail on the counter one day, and on the next, they added things like green beans and bananas to the selection. Most students gravitated toward the unhealthier options, which was to be expected.
What the Cornell researchers hadn’t expected — and what made this study so interesting — was that on the days when green beans and bananas were placed in front of the students, their overall meals were healthier.
So, there you have it. Losing weight or eating healthy isn’t just about willpower — it’s about creating conditions that allow your brain to guide your behaviors.
How Our Brains Perceive The Flavor Of Food
What if we could change the way food tastes — not by changing the food itself, but how our brain perceives it?
What if scientists could manipulate neurological signals inside your body to make broccoli taste like chocolate? Interesting? Or freaky?
It is a question scientists are asking about the future of food. “We could potentially revolutionize the flavoring of foods,” says Tim McClintock, a physiology professor at the University of Kentucky. “Some people might find it creepy, but in fact, scientists believe the health benefits could be substantial.” It could, for instance, help patients with low appetite regain the motivation to eat, make nutritious food more appealing to people undergoing chemotherapy, or make healthy snacks just as enticing to patients with compulsive eating disorders as junk food.
With advances in the new field of neurogastronomy, this may be just the beginning.
This article was first published in Brain World Magazine’s Spring 2016 issue.
More From Brain World
- The Brain Without Food: Why We Fast
- Cross Your Fingers: Do Rituals Really Work?
- For Healthier Minds: An Interview with Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein
- I Can’t Decide! Why An Increase in Choices Decreases Our Happiness
- Never Eat Alone! The Benefits of Eating With Others
- Night Eating Syndrome: Causes and Concerns
