Sunday, January 24, 2010

Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink

Every once in awhile I read a really great book about improving one’s health and think “This is the kind of stuff that made me want to become a dietitian!” I relayed this thought to my 9 year old son who immediately responded “Did you highlight a lot of the pages mom?” to which I chuckled with a “definitely”.

Mindless Eating is a great read for anyone interested in health and wellness topics. For the 2/3rd’s of American’s struggling with weight issues, it provides many “aha” moments and memorable tools that instill confidence in finally being able to successful manage eating habits. It’s not the traditional diet book that pushes foods allowed, foods to avoid, and how many minutes of daily exercise you need to lose weight. Rather it exposes the hidden psychological triggers behind why we eat what we do and the invisible cues that lead to scale creep. The guy obviously likes to make people laugh because his studies while thoroughly fascinating are relayed in such a humorous way that you’ll feel like you’re watching an Ashton Kutcher episode of “You’ve Just Been Punk’d”. The book tackles a lot of not so obvious topics including your kitchen environment, movie theater popcorn, clothing choices, restaurant traps, socializing in the midst of food and alcohol, m&m and jelly bean colors, and warehouse clubs. For a taste of the book go to http://www.mindlesseating.com/ and take the quiz. The book’s grand finale chapter provides specific tactics to overcome an individual's mindless eating danger traps: The Meal Stuffer; The Snack Grazer; The Party Binger; The Restaurant Indulger; and The Desktop or Dashboard Diner. After reading this book you should definitely feel in control over environmental influences that cause you to eat when you’re not hungry and overeat beyond the point of no return.

3 comments:

Sybil Hebert, RD said...

Love this book too- so many great tips and tools... and an easy read.
It's a definite 'must-read'.
My copy is all highlighted too!
(Would also be so fun to work in that lab...!)

Sheryl Lozicki R.D., M.B.A said...

I didn't like labs in college but this one breaks the mold. Imagine something as little as increasing the variety of colored M&Ms raises the amount of calories consumed. That the colors red and yellow think McDonalds & Wendy's) raises the speed at which you order, eat, move on! That you eat more at restaurants who remove dirty dishes, rather than leaving them in front of you reminding you of how much you've already eaten or drank. I am definitely more sensitive when counseling now, to help people identify different eating mis cues in their everyday lives.

Sybil Hebert, RD said...

I've also used what I learned in this book in my practice, on many occasions!
Btw- just nominated you for an award (check today's post for details)- love all your information (through your blog and tweets!)- keep them coming! :)