Mindless Eating

According to Brian Wansink, Author of the book entitled Mindless Eating Individuals make approximately 200 food related decisions a day, every day. That’s a lot of time spent on food related thoughts!

Our environment is a source of persuaders or cues that encourage us to eat more than is required to satisfy our hunger. Large plates and packages indirectly suggest a consumption norm- that is, how much is appropriate to eat.

I never really noticed how big most restaurants plates and portions sizes were until I went to a restaurant the other night offering authentic French cuisine (Leopold’s on St.Clare and Arlington). The waiter brought me my meal in a small 7 inch by 7 inch dish; I could count the number of green beans I had on one hand. The interesting part was, I was full… I was not hungry anymore, but I wanted more. Despite knowing that this portion size was much more in line with Canada’s Food Guide recommendations and was a Mediterranean diet inspired dish, well executed, it seems as if Western society’s consumption norms have had an effect on me. I like the unnecessary blow of bread and butter offered with my meals.
Wansink states that humans have been programmed, through evolution, to eat as much as our environments make available, and no one, is immune to the environmental cues that tell us to eat more. That’s right nutrition experts and dietitians-to-be, not even us!

Also interesting, my experience from Dr. Judy Paisley’s Cultural Dimensions class reminded me of how many restaurants in Toronto offering Mediterranean cuisine (typically considered healthier than Western diets) tend to make modifications to appeal to Westerns society’s large portions and love for meat. No wonder why when I found a restaurant that finally did a good job on representing Mediterranean cuisine I was surprised.

My last thought on this restaurant was although the portions were smaller than I was use to I definitely savored the meal… those 5 green beans were amazing!