Think your meal is filling, it will be, study shows
Can we trick our minds into thinking we’re not hungry?
After a set of experiments, a British researcher has concluded that portion control is a matter of perception. If we believe a meal will be filling or remember it was the last time, it will be – and that belief might inform those who label food.
“Light” and “diet” foods could be relabeled as “satisfying” or “hunger relieving,” said Dr. Jeff Brunstrom, a University of Bristol researcher, who presented his findings at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior.
He showed some study participants the ingedients of a fruit smoothie. Those who were shown a larger portion of fruit reported significantly greater fullness, even though they ate the same amount as the other participants.
In another experiment, researchers increased and decreased the amount of soup in participants bowls as they ate. Three hours later, participants “remembered” the amount of soup in the bowl and not how much they actually ate when they rated their fullness.
Think these experiments would work on you? Would a different label?
Associated Press photo
Comments
Meredith,
Great post. I read your quick bio noticing you are also a runner and clean eater.
You should read the book, "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think" written by Dr. Brian Wansink. Wansink is the Director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University, led the team for the new US Food Pyramid and is a world's expert in eating behaviors.
The book is very funny and entertaining while containing priceless information on how to eat less and to eat better over time. This is done simply through changing bad eating habits into good eating habits without even being aware of it by changing your eating scripts and eating environments.
On the topic of this post, Wansink knows we eat with our eyes proven through fiendishly clever experiments that are contained in the book along with his 20+ years of eating behavior research. Mindless Products, LLC www.mindlessproducts.com worked with Dr. Wansink to create Thinware - dish sets designed specifically in color, shape, size and pattern to make a person eat less but feel satiated. Check out the site and the book and let me know what you think.
"The best diet is the one you don't know you're on." - Brian Wansink
Posted by: Mary at Mindless | July 21, 2010 9:52 AM
That this results of this study are treated in this blog as positive news is very troubling. Do you know what one common symptom of eating disorders is? The ability of a person to 'think' him or herself full.
It is important to listen to your body's cues of fullness. If you are eating a healthy and balanced diet, and you are still full, then you are not taking in enough calories and nutrients. Do not try to 'trick' your body.
Posted by: Concerned | July 22, 2010 2:45 PM