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).