Eating Too Much

In the first chapter of Mindless Eating, Brian Wansink discusses several reasons why people eat more than they should. Surprisingly, what Wansink has found is that the reason we eat so much is not because the food tastes overly good, but because of a multitude of subtle cues that we are subjected to every time we eat. A study conducted in many different states gave out free popcorn to movie-goers in two sizes, medium and large. Even though the popcorn was 5 days old and very stale, people went ahead and ate to their heart's content. The study concluded that the people who were given the large size were likely to eat more than the people who were given medium. Countless studies such as this one are conducted to find factors that make people eat more or less. Some factors, or cues, include container size, labeling, marketing and advertising, etc.

Another topic in this chapter is dieting and why most diets don't work. Wansink points out that most diets are some form of deprivation. The problem with deprivation is that our bodies fight it both physically and mentally. It works for a short time, then the weight comes right back as soon as the diet is over. Wansink suggests that to lose weight, we need to trim off just enough calories so that our bodies don't notice that we're eating less. This makes the point that mindless eating works both ways.

After reading this chapter I realize that all of these small cues do influence how much I eat. Hopefully, I will recognize at least some of the cues while eating in the future. But if so many of these small factors act on us on a subconscious level everyday, is it even possible to recognize and then act differently every time we eat something?