Simple Wellness - Beyond Mindless

3.6
Portion Distortion & "Mindless Eating"
Sixth post in a Simple Wellness series

We're well into 2016... how are your power pantry choices going? I took some time off with the big blizzard last week, and caught up on some goals. If you're still working on new and improved wellness goals for the year, maybe you're processing that as well. We've been looking at fundamental issues which can make or break our wellness, especially elements related to food.

This post deals with the physical aspects surrounding what we eat, and ultimately how much, how long, and how many calories we eat. I've been fascinated by research from a brilliant and winsome PhD, Dr. Brian Wansink, that you need to review. Wansink and his colleagues at Cornell have spent the last 15+ years doing ground-breaking research on eating behavior.

Here are some tidbits:

• The size of our plates matters a lot - the bigger the plate (bowl, spoon, fork) the more we eat. Use smaller plates and utensils and we'll eat less volume and less calories.
• The size of our portions matters - dishing out a single serving of each food offered helps us get full (satiated) with less calories; if it's on the plate, we eat it and get the same 'feeling' but we've consumed additional calories
• The proximity of food and snacks matters - leaving serving dishes in the kitchen makes us eat less (ie, don't put the pot of food and casserole dishes on the table); keep healthy foods within sight and arms reach in the pantry and fridge; keep fatty, sugary, salty snacks in closed containers and out of sight to reduce how much of them we eat (and the calories which go with them)

Wansink has a ground-breaking book, Mindless Eating, that thoroughly covers this territory. Check out his Mindless Eating website , and especially review the 'Toolbox' and 'What Can I Do' tabs.

It is fascinating to me that eating in a mindful way, literally just being aware of plates and portions and proximity, can make all the difference in our eating habits. Read Dr. Wansink's materials on the Mindless Eating website, and maybe you'll get some inspiration for power pantry improvements you can start this week.

By the Way

For even more inspiration, check out Dr. Wansink's new book, Slim by Design. This content is fully endorsed by Power Pantry! Click the 'Dieting is Exhausting' banner at the top and take the short quizzes to score your home, office, school, etc, on how friendly these spaces are for being slim. Another significant opportunity is a live coaching opportunity to take Dr. Wansink's Slim by Design course, available right on your phone.