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4 psychology-backed tips to cut down on unhealthy snacking
Snacks are great — life-affirming, you might even say. But they can get us in trouble.
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One study, for instance, suggests kids consume 43% of their calories from snacks. It's no wonder obesity rates among kids and adults have ballooned over the last few decades.
As tempting as snacks may be, there are ways to reduce consumption of salty and sugary foods without torturing ourselves through dieting.
The folks at Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab have the answers.
Avoid eating from the bag or carton at all costs.
In 2004, the Food and Brand Lab discovered that people eat 27% more ice cream when they self-served into 24-ounce bowls than 16-ounce bowls.
Similarly, since people eat 92% of what's on their plate, they tend to eat 22% less when using a 10-inch plate over a 12-inch plate.
The crazy part? People feel just as satisfied even if they're eating less food.
One of the strongest takeaways from the Food and Brand Lab's research is that you will eat food if it's convenient, so best to keep it out of sight.
One 2006 study found office workers who kept a candy dish on their desk ate twice as much candy as those who kept the dish roughly six feet away.
The Lab recommends storing snacks in hard-to-reach places to avoid temptation.
Better yet, replace the unhealthy candy bowl with a different snack entirely, like clementines for example.
The Food and Brand Lab has found people who keep cereals on their counter tend to weigh 20 pounds more than people who don't. Meanwhile, those who keep a fruit bowl on their counter weigh an average of 13 lbs. less.
The same logic that applies for unhealthy mindlessly eating — that you will eat more of what's convenient and visible — applies for healthy mindless eating.
In other words, enable yourself to mindlessly eat healthier.
Before your late-night hunger pangs strike, make sure the foods you see first upon opening the fridge are healthy snacks.
Earlier this year, Food and Brand Lab Director Brian Wansink released his book "Slim by Design," which preached the importance of making your default choices as healthy as can be.
Part of that includes putting pre-cut fruits and veggies front and center in your refrigerator. You will see these first and naturally want to eat more of them.
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