What Made Me Buy That - Eating Out

What Made Me Buy That – Eating Out?

Heidi back again with more information about how our food choices are influenced.  This time we’re going to focus on eating out.  Have you ever wondered what makes you eat more when you’re out?  For one, the portions are larger.  I’m sure you already know that restaurants serve up portions that are so large that there’s no way we can burn all of those calories. When you combine that with people dining our more frequently that’s a recipe for disaster.  And, a recent study showed that if you serve more, we eat more.  Plus, we don’t even notice that we’re eating more.  This is because we’re eating while were talking with a companion, watching TV, or driving.  Being distracted causes us to eat more.

Maybe you’re thinking we should be relying on our hunger or our own recall of what we’ve already eaten.  Well, we tend not to do that either unless someone asks us to remember.  In which case, remembering what we’ve eaten will help us avoid eating more.

You’ve heard of Combo Meals, right?  People order them because it’s one less decision they have to make.  However, the downside of that is that we may be ordering items we don’t actually want.  One study even found that if people were asked to order items separately in most cases they’d only order a couple of the items in a combo meal, which also saved them money.

Watch out for that menu, it may trick you into ordering something you may not really want.  For example, did you know that the upper right-hand corner is known as the “sweet spot”? Newspapers put their big news there because it’s what people see first.  Menus may also put an expensive item next to another dish that’s even more expensive to make the first item appear more reasonable.  Last but not least, restaurants also know that we like to choose things that are listed first and last in sections.  And, foods that are highlighted or put in a box often get ordered.

Did you know that we’re also mimics?  It turns out that we like to copy one another.  On study had researchers show people a video where the experimenter was eating Goldfish or animal crackers, and when bowls were put in front of them of each item that these people were more likely to choose the same item as the experimenter.  We don’t even know we’re doing this.

Let’s not forget that food is everywhere.  Remember when you went to the gas station just for gas?  Now most have markets included.  Also, places like libraries now have cafes.  And, dining halls on college campuses seem to be open to all hours.  This makes food constantly accessible.  The worst part is that most of this food is highly processed, non-perishable, and unfortunately not great for our health.

 

Bottom Line:  You can choose healthy items when you’re out, you just need to have a goal in mind to help you avoid these traps.

 

 

Reference:  Nutrition Action Newsletter, March 2016, Under The Radar (p.4 & 5).

What Made Me Buy That - The Supermarket

What Made Me Buy That – The Supermarket?

 

Heidi here to talk about what makes us choose the foods we do.  I will be talking about three different topics – The Supermarket, Eating Out, and Advertising.  Today, we are going to focus on the supermarket.  So, just what does influence us in the store?  I’m sure you’re familiar with time-limited specials, or suggestions to buy say three items for the price of two, or 10 items for $10.  All in all, those techniques encourage us to purchase more!  Also, we tend to pay more attention to food at the end of the aisles, which may or may not be on sale.  And, you probably already know that food at eye level sells better than food on a high or low shelf.

Did you also know that we have a limited thinking capacity?  Essentially, as we use our brains over and over our ability to think carefully gets worn down.  When that happens we make snappy decisions based on superficial characteristics of food.  We wind up buying foods based on appearance and convenience.  Supermarkets are aware of this brain fatigue and purposely place candy and chips near the register, which is just one impulse marketing technique.  Along with brain fatigue, our self-control can get tired.  When our mental energy gets used up during the day our self-control lessens too.

Last, but not least is variety. For example, simply changing the name or flavors or even shapes of items makes us think they are different.  It’s that difference that makes those items attractive to us!  Think about all of those flavors of your favorite chip.  We wouldn’t recommend a boring diet as it’s important to eat a variety of foods so we can consume different nutrients.  Just think about where those nutrients are coming from – eating different vegetables serves us much better as opposed to eating a variety of chips.

Bottom Line:  Go to the store with a list to help avoid these supermarket traps.

 

Reference:  Nutrition Action Newsletter, March 2016, Under The Radar (p.4).

 

What Made Me Buy That - Advertising

What Made Me Buy That - Advertising?

Heidi here again with some news about how advertising affects our food purchases.  I’m sure you already know marketing shapes our decisions, but let’s look a little bit deeper.  For one, they can prime us to conjure up memories from childhood, which suddenly grabs our attention and makes us feel like we must have this item.  And, guess what, we are not even aware of this! 

In addition, ads with happy people make us want to buy more stuff.  Restaurants and grocery stores already know this and use it to their advantage.  Think about that friendly staff member smiling.  That smile puts us at ease, which in turn makes us less suspicious, as well as less critical, so feeling more relaxed we buy more.  Clever, isn’t it!

Last but not least, there’s classical conditioning. You’ve heard of Pavlov’s dog experiment where every time this Russian physiologist gave his dogs food he would ring a bell.  Eventually, the dogs would salivate when they heard the bell whether or not food was present.  The same thing happens to us!  For example, ads use celebrities or athletes to promote an item.  Now we associate the item with that particular person, and how that person makes us feel.  Next we transfer those feelings for the celebrity onto the item.  For example, Pepsi gave Beyoncé $50 million for her 2013 contract hoping fans would consider its soda as alluring as the singer.  Classical conditioning at its best!

Bottom Line:  Remember that there’s a lot going on the next time you’re out at a restaurant or grocery store.  Choose wisely friends!

 

Reference:  Nutrition Action Newsletter, March 2016, Under The Radar (p.5).

Spreading Protein Needs throughout the Day Boosts Muscle Mass

 

As we age, starting into our thirties we begin to lose muscle mass.  With that in mind, a 24-week clinical study was conducted to see if extra protein at breakfast and lunch would help improve lean tissue mass in healthy older adults.  What was found was that spreading protein throughout the day, rather than just focusing it on dinner helped!  Specifically, consuming 25-30 grams of protein per meal seemed to maintain muscle mass and function in older adults. And, spreading your protein intake during the day better matches your muscle needs.

Here are some protein suggestions to incorporate during the day to help give your muscles a boost:

• Cottage Cheese (low-fat) – 28 grams
• Chicken Breast (roasted) - 27 grams
• Turkey (white meat, roasted) – 25 grams
• Lentils – 18 grams
• Greek Yogurt (6 oz., nonfat) – 17 grams
• Peanut Butter – (2 T.) – 9 grams
• Milk – (low-fat) – 8 grams
• Egg (1 whole, poached) – 6 grams

 

Try adding some protein to breakfast and lunch if you’re not already. Go ahead, give it a shot! 

 

Reference:  Health & Nutrition Letter, Tufts University, April 2016, VOL. 34, NO. 2, Protein at Breakfast and Lunch Boosts Muscle Mass (p.7).

What You Need to Know About Meat and Cancer

The expert panel of 22 scientists from the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a recent report that “red meat probably contributes to colon, prostate and pancreatic cancer risk”.  In addition, foods have been grouped.  Group 1 carcinogens include foods like bacon and cold cuts, which means there is a strong link between these foods and cancer risk.  The WHO reviewed over 800 studies that spanned 20 years and their findings support longstanding diet advice to watch your intake of processed meat, control portion sizes, and frequently swap seafood, poultry, or plant protein for red meat in meals.

So what counts as “processed meat”? Examples are bacon, sausages, hot dogs, jerky and cold cuts.  They are processed because these foods have been transformed to enhance flavor or increase preservation by salting, curing, fermenting, smoking or other processes.  They may also have chemicals added to them such as nitrates and nitrites.

Now, how much is too much you might be asking?  Well, the WHO report mentioned that it didn’t have enough data to give a specific amount, but they do know that the risk increases with consumption.  They do know from reviewing 10 studies that only eating about 1.75 ounces of processed meat daily was “associated with an added lifetime risk of colorectal cancer of roughly 18%”.  That’s only one hot dog or a few slices of cold cuts or bacon daily.  Additionally, each 3.5 ounce daily serving of red meat increases colorectal cancer risk by 17%.

How great is the risk?  There is no need to panic over this information.  The average American has a lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer of about 5%, so even an increase of 18% would raise that to about 6%.  That means that occasionally including these foods once or twice a week would be fine, unless there is a family history or colorectal cancer.

How can you reduce your risk?  Start by cutting processed-meat consumption by replacing packaged deli meats with freshly cooked chicken or fish, try spicy vegetarian sausages instead of bacon, chorizo, or salami, replace sausage in chili and sauces with beans, and use herbs and spices like garlic, fennel seed and hot pepper flakes to add flavor.  Also, try lower-temperature cooking methods like roasting or braising instead of pan-frying, grilling, or other high-temperature methods.

 

Reference:  Health & Nutrition Letter, Tufts University, February 2016, VOL.33, NO. 12, How Much Should You Worry About Meat and Cancer? (p.7).

Can Owning A Pet Help With Weight Loss?

 
Heidi here again to share interesting news for you pet owners.  My husband and I are pet owners of three lovely dogs pictured here - Isla, Finn, and Hugo.  I thought I would share some insight about pet ownership and weight.  Did you know that having a pet can help you lose weight?

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) owning a pet has many health benefits.  Here are a few:

Decrease blood pressure
Decrease cholesterol and triglyceride levels
Opportunity to exercise and spend time outdoors
Opportunity to socialize with other pet owners and decrease feelings of loneliness

In short, many food related health problems like high blood pressure and high cholesterol can be reduced simply by owning a furry friend! This does not take away from healthy eating and exercise of course, but think of your pet as another tool in your toolbox to a healthy lifestyle.

Reference:  Fooducate, Daily Tip, Can A Pet Help You Lose Weight?, March 19 2016, www.fooducate.com