By: Nikki Nies
I keep saying it, but the truth hasn’t changed! I’m confident I’ve picked the right profession as I get excited by the prospects of what kind of jobs and ways I will be able to help people nutritionally. Specifically, I’m looking forward to the day where I can merge multiple interests and skills. I say this with pleasure as I know it can be done. I’ve developed an interest in the pyschology of eating. To learn more about the interrelationship between psychology and food, who better to turn to besides Dr. Brian Wansink?
I’ve been a fan of Wansink, with many other health professionals familiar with Wansink’s research on mindless eating over the years, if interested in the correlations with the mind andeating! Wansink, a food psychologist, is the leading spokesperson on the concept of mindless eating. He’s given many speeches and talks on mindless eating
Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think is a stellar book that’s recently topped Time’s Top 5 Must Reads. So, of course, I had to delve deeper into the list to find out what I’ve missing. I’ve just started this book and the first part already opened my eyes! Wansink brings up the point that the average individual makes over 200+ food related decisions daily, subconsciously too! This includes eating in the kitchen vs. dining room, fresh or frozen peas, 5 or 6 o’clock for dinner. With so many decisions “automatic” for us, its’ easy to see how we forget how many external factors influence HOW MUCH we eat! This 2010 book is up to par with all his other research and food and behavior findings.
Wansink poses the following the questions in the book! And more!
1. Can the size of your plate really influence your appetite?
2. Why do you eat more when you dine with friends?
3. What “hidden persuaders” are used by restaurants and supermarkets to get us to overeat?
4. How does music or the color of the room influence how much—and how fast—we eat?
5. How can we “mindlessly” lose—instead of gain—up to twenty pounds in the coming year?
I’ve enjoyed following Wansink’s research over the years and can’t wait to get my hands on his book!
Photo Credit: Mindless Eating
Sources: http://time.com/3329687/5-books-change-life/
http://mindlesseating.org/faq.php
http://www.cornell.edu/video/brian-wansink-mindless-eating-why-we-eat-more-than-we-think
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