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Mindless Eating

Why We Eat More Than We Think
ksoles
Jul 29, 2014ksoles rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Stanford-educated director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab Dr. Brian Wansink knows food. Moreover, he knows the psychology of food: why we eat what we eat and why what we eat sometimes seems out of our control. In his amazing, entertaining and often scary book, Wansink navigates through some of the 200 food choices we make each day and illuminates the ease with which we mindlessly consume extra calories. "Mindless Eating" shares the results of many fascinating modern food experiments: people will eat more popcorn, even if it’s stale and tasteless, when they receive it in larger buckets; people think wine tastes better when it boasts a fancier label or comes ostensibly from California as opposed to North Dakota; that, in pitch darkness, people eating chocolate-flavoured yogurt can be tricked into thinking it tastes like strawberry, and that people will eat fewer candies when they have to walk to the dish compared to when the dish sits within easy reach. Taking these results outside the laboratory, Wansink can help a person "mindlessly" lose about 20 lbs per year. The key lies in eliminating the 100-200 calories a day that he calls the "mindless margin." How? Use smaller plates and tall, skinny glasses. Put all food on a plate instead of eating out of a box or bowl. Put junk foods somewhere inconvenient. Eat slowly and don’t multitask while you’re eating. Even those convinced they know better can fall victim to mindless eating. Wansink finishes his book with a simple plan anyone can use to lose weight mindlessly as well as a description of the most common mindless eating patterns. This wise and interesting book proves that "the best diet is the one you don't know you're on."