Why do we transfer? Psychologists say that our eating behavior is influenced by the environment, people and what happens to us during the day.
It would seem that we notice every crumb that appears on our plate, and carefully count the number of calories consumed. But here is the long-awaited vacation or holidays – and the excess weight has returned. It turns out that the point is not only that on vacation we relax and allow ourselves more. There are places whose environment makes us overeat. And we don’t even notice it.
1. On the plane
In 2010, Lufthansa conducted a study that found that dry, air-conditioned aircraft dull our taste buds. It turns out that while on board an airplane, our mucous membranes swell, as during a cold, which blocks the connection between the mouth and nose. Plus, the nasal mucosa dries up, which dulls the sense of smell. As a result, our ability to taste salty tastes is reduced by 30%, and sweet by 20%. That is why we, without noticing it, eat the entire tray that is offered for lunch, along with dessert and salted nuts.
To avoid over-salted and over-sweetened airplane food that will give you nothing but a feeling of heaviness in the stomach and extra calories, try to have a snack before the flight. And do not drink coffee and tea on board – they will only contribute to dehydration. If the flight lasts more than four hours, take the lunch bought at the airport with you on board. All cafes in the duty-free zone will pack your salad or light lunch in handy containers.
2. Loud music venues
In the mid-1980s, researchers from Fairfield University (USA) found that loud and energetic music in a restaurant increases the speed of chewing by almost a third. And the faster we chew, the worse we chew food and the more we need to eat to get enough. Fast food restaurants have been using this trick for years to encourage customers to eat quickly and leave, freeing up a table for a new customer. But a very recent study from Brigham Young University (USA) shows that the better a person hears how he chews food, the faster the feeling of fullness comes. And best of all, food is digested with quiet instrumental music.
That is why try to eat mindfully. Dining in front of a TV (television screens in restaurants also count), a laptop, a tablet, even just scrolling through the news feed on a smartphone, we consume much more food than we need, which inevitably leads to excess weight.
Read more:
- Six Ways to Avoid Eating Too Much at a Holiday Feast
3. Joint meals
Dr. John de Castro (John M. Castro) from the University of Georgia (USA) conducted a study in 2000, during which he found out that people tend to overeat in large companies. “When dining with someone, a person eats 33% more than if he ate alone,” says John de Castro. – If there are three people sitting at the table, then everyone will eat 47% more than they should. If four – 58%, five – 69%, six – 72%. And finally, if more than seven people are sitting at the table, then a person tends to eat 96% more than his norm.
John de Castro also notes that family dinners are usually rich in food, but do not last long. But dinners with friends usually drag on for several hours, and the participants in the meal eat twice as much.
So what to do now, to refuse joint dinners? Not at all, because eating with friends, relatives, relatives means that you have a healthy, happy and harmonious relationship. It is important to just think about the amount of food consumed. Do not order the waiter immediately salad, hot and dessert. Try to eat the appetizer first, and then order the next dish. Then you have a chance that you will be full by the dessert. Another option: you can eat a third, and ask for the rest to wrap up with you.
See more at publications of The Huffington Post.