Snacking strategies that can actually stop you from overeating, according to science
However, some easy environmental and behavioural tweaks could go a long way to reprogramming our brains to cease mindless munching:
Snack with your non-dominant handWhile researchers have long praised the proven dietary benefits of turning off the telly during meal times, one study reveals that simply switching snacking hands could eliminate the need to forego your small screen habit.
Scientists from the University of Southern California set out to test what factors could successfully disrupt automatic snacking habits. Initially, they handed out popcorn to moviegoers, with some participants receiving fresh, warm popcorn and others stale, cold, unsalted popcorn. They found that regardless of the huge disparity in snack quality, consumption levels were the same for those who typically ate popcorn at the movies. In a separate popcorn experiment, moviegoers who ate with their non-dominant hand were found to eat less. Researchers concluded that this action stopped participants from unconsciously completing the response (i.e. eating popcorn) usually prompted by the context of being at the movies.
Use a bigger fork to eat lessIt sounds counterintuitive, but researchers say when confronted with a plate loaded with food, specifically in a restaurant setting, those equipped with bigger forks actually fair better.
A University of Utah study monitored diners at an Italian restaurant over two lunches and two dinners, assigning certain tables with either larger forks or smaller forks. The findings showed that in cases where servings were generous, diners with smaller forks ate significantly more. Researchers concluded this could be because the smaller mouthfuls led diners to feel they weren’t eating enough of their food and were therefore not satisfying their hunger.
"The fork size provided the diners with a means to observe their goal progress," the findings stated. "The physiological feedback of feeling full or the satiation signal comes with a time lag. In its absence diners focus on the visual cue of whether they are making any dent on the food on their plate to assess goal progress."
To avoid overindulging, authors recommend taking measures to better understand hunger cues. "People do not have clear internal cues about the appropriate quantity to consume," the authors explain. "They allow external cues, such as fork size, to determine the amount they should consume."
Display the healthy, hide the junk
Apparently the mere presence of healthy foods such as fruit can have a positive effect on your food choices, even if you're still snubbing said healthy fare, according to researchers.A study conducted by Cornell University in school cafeterias discovered that the presence of unhealthy snacks on the school lunch line, like applesauce and fruit cocktail, sent kids into a sugar-seeking buying frenzy, while more nutritious options, such as green beans and bananas, inspired them to make more healthful choices.
Co-author of the study Professor Brian Wansink added that this "priming effect" didn't necessarily result in more of healthy display snacks being purchased. "Even though these students did not take a fruit or vegetable, either in a meal or as a separate item, their choices of the less healthy a la carte items were still affected by the presence of fruits and vegetables."
In another study, Wansink offered subjects chocolate in both clear and opaque bowls and monitored consumption levels. Astoundingly, participants who dipped into the see-through vessels devoured 70 percent more chocolate. So if you want to ensure you don't binge on junk at home, relegate those biccies to the back of the pantry and store fruit prominently, within eye view of your eating spaces.
Talk yourself slim
When tempted with moreish nosh immediately after eating, literally saying out loud "I'm really full, but I’m going to eat this anyway" can stop those overeating tendencies in their tracks, according to Wansink.
"We've found that when people make that statement aloud, two-thirds of the time they don't eat the food," he explains in his book Mindless eating: why we eat more than we think.
"That's all you have to do, but you do have to say it aloud."