The book Mindless Eating by Brain Wansink

billspit
billspit Posts: 6 Member
edited November 20 in Food and Nutrition
Has anyone read the book Mindless Eating. Is it worth reading?

Replies

  • JohnBarth
    JohnBarth Posts: 672 Member
    The original book is great! It's definitely not a diet book but really gives some scientific examples of how our minds and bodies react in food-centric decision making. Very eye-opening.

  • billspit
    billspit Posts: 6 Member
    did reading this book help you in dieting and your weight goals
  • JohnBarth
    JohnBarth Posts: 672 Member
    Specifically with dieting or weight loss, not that I recall, but with a knowledge of how we can truly eat without thinking, it's absolutely worth the effort to read!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited June 2015
    I heard him on a podcast and bought the book, as I thought it would be interesting. Haven't read it yet, though. Some of the things he brought up rang true for me.
  • billspit
    billspit Posts: 6 Member
    just wondering if anyone has learn anything from that book that contributed to weight loss. Is so may you can share a specific example. Thank you
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    I've read the book and thought it was really eye opening. I highly recommend it.

    In answer to your specific question here are three examples that helped me be more mindful and take more control:

    - The more barriers there are between you and the food, the less likely you are to eat it. A bowl of nuts on the counter are easy to eat. If the nuts are in the cabinet, that's a little more trouble. If they are shelled and in the cabinet, that's harder yet.

    - Beware the "Costco Effect": just because you have a large quantity of food doesn't mean you have to eat it up faster

    - You can make food sound more appetizing, and people will eat more of it, just by adding adjectives to it. When you look around you see this everywhere. Not just mashed potatoes, "home-style" mashed potatoes.
  • Miles_to_Go
    Miles_to_Go Posts: 48 Member
    I've read a few of his books, so excuse me if I include tips from multiple books. .

    These have really helped me be aware of my appetite triggers and eating habits.

    You tend to eat more if:
    1. You eat from large plates and bowls. Your body can't easily tell how much food you've eaten, so you tend to use visual cues. The soup experiment was especially interesting.
    2. You are offered a larger diversity of food types or even colors
    3. You store calorie dense food in sight. Avoid leaving snack food on counter tops, do leave healthy options in sight. If you have calorie dense snack food in the house, keep it out of sight or in a separate cabinet/shelf
    4. You enter your house through your kitchen. Associations with food will trigger your appetite.

    That's all I remember off hand. Worth a read.

  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    billspit wrote: »
    Has anyone read the book Mindless Eating. Is it worth reading?

    Yes, it's a fascinating book.

    That said if a person is looking for a more practical approach to mindful (rather than mindless) eating then something like "Ditching Diets" by Gillian Riley is better.
  • billspit
    billspit Posts: 6 Member
    Thank you very Miles and msf74, you were both very helpful.

    Just downloaded the book on my Tablet and plan to start reading it after work.
  • brendak76
    brendak76 Posts: 241 Member
    Just checked out the ebook from my library :)
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Miles_to_Go wrote: »
    I've read a few of his books, so excuse me if I include tips from multiple books. .

    These have really helped me be aware of my appetite triggers and eating habits.

    You tend to eat more if:
    1. You eat from large plates and bowls. Your body can't easily tell how much food you've eaten, so you tend to use visual cues. The soup experiment was especially interesting.
    2. You are offered a larger diversity of food types or even colors
    3. You store calorie dense food in sight. Avoid leaving snack food on counter tops, do leave healthy options in sight. If you have calorie dense snack food in the house, keep it out of sight or in a separate cabinet/shelf
    4. You enter your house through your kitchen. Associations with food will trigger your appetite.

    That's all I remember off hand. Worth a read.

    I made something this AM and initially served it in the bowl I had used to weigh raw bok choy and such. The completed dish looked like it wasn't enough food. I put it in a smaller bowl and it turned out to be enough food :)

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    While looking for "Mindless Eating" in my library's website, I found Eating Mindfully: How to End Mindless Eating and Enjoy a Balanced Relationship with Food Paperback by Susan Albers - anybody read that?
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