Environmental Cues +Eating Habit = Mindless Eating, Even When the Food Is Stale

Do you scarf down a free doughnut no matter how long it's been sitting in the office kitchen? Or, for Sunday afternoon football do you break open beers and chips even though you just finished lunch? Or have ice cream most evenings while watching TV?

Your environment can be a powerful trigger in shaping your eating habits. In a recent study, 98 volunteers were handed a box of fresh or week-old popcorn before entering a movie theatre to watch the coming attractions. A second group of 60 participants was also given fresh or stale popcorn before watching music videos in a college meeting room.  Researchers wanted to find out if people who typically ate movie popcorn would eat more of it regardless of the setting or its freshness.  They'd expected that people with strong "popcorn eating habits" would still eat less stale popcorn than fresh in the theater.  Instead, they found that regular popcorn eaters at the movies ate exactly the same amount of popcorn regardless of whether it was stale or fresh.  However, when not at the movies but in a meeting room where they did not have the habit of eating popcorn, the regular popcorn eaters eat less popcorn overall and their eating was more responsive to taste because they ate less of the stale than the fresh popcorn.  Thus, when people are in an environment where they have a strong food habit such as popcorn at the movies, the power of the food habit leads to eating, even when the food does not taste that good.

In a second study, 89 moviegoers received either fresh or stale popcorn and were asked to eat with their non-dominant hand.   This time, using their non-dominant hand, habitual popcorn eaters ate much less of the stale popcorn than the fresh. It appeared to throw a wrench in their usual movie-going behavior and made them focus more on what they were eating and how it tasted.

"We show that your personal history of having eaten in an environment in the past increases the likelihood of mindless eating when again in the trigger environment.  Although you might not be aware of it, your brain associates the food with prior consumption in that setting.” suggests lead researcher Dr. David Neal.

What to do:  Recognize non-hunger eating cues and learn to avoid the cues (i.e. drive a different way home so you do not go by the bakery) or modify your habitual response.  For example, if you have a habit of eating while watching TV, have a rule that when eating you cannot be watching TV.  Replace the TV time snacks with something else to fill the void such as flossing, crocheting, or texting.  Also, try changing your normal routine to make you more mindful of your actions -- for example, switching hands.  You can also work on transforming your environment to give you healthier food cues.  For example using smaller plates or keeping serving bowls away from the table are both associated with reduced intake.   

Adapted from article found at:  http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20111012/LIFE/310120010/1048/ENT02/?odyssey=nav%7Chead

PROCESSED RED MEAT INTAKE INCREASES DIABETES RISK

A new study from the Harvard School of Public Health finds that intake of red meat, especially processed products such as hot dogs, sausage, and salami, increases your risk of type 2 diabetes.  It also found that you can significantly lower your diabetes risk by replacing red meat with healthier proteins such as nuts and low-fat dairy products. 

Researchers examined dietary and disease rate data collected from 3 important studies that tracked  more than 200,000 individuals over 14-28 years.  After adjusting for lifestyle and dietary risk factors including body weight and activity level, the researchers determined that a daily 100-gram serving (about the size of a deck of cards) of unprocessed red meat was associated with a 19% increased risk for type 2 diabetes.  Even worse, a mere 50-gram daily serving of processed meat (equivalent to one hot dog or sausage or two slices of bacon) was associated with a 51% increased  risk of diabetes.

Among people who ate one daily serving of red meat, substituting nuts resulted in a 21% lower risk, and substituting a low-fat dairy product, a 17% lower risk.  Additionally substituting a serving of meat with a serving of fiber rich whole grains (mainly containing carbohydrates) reduced the risk of diabetes by 23%.

Why is meat intake associated with diabetes, even when controlling for body weight?  A recent study at the University of California, San Diego found that saturated fats which are found in high levels in red meat and full fat dairy, activate a key metabolic pathway associated with the development of type 2 diabetes while polyunsaturated fats like omega-3s shut this pathway down. 

What to do: Diversify your protein sources.  Opt for lean sources including skinless poultry, fish and seafood (especially fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel), eggwhites, lowfat dairy, and beans more often than meat.  Nuts contain both protein and healthy fat so to control your calorie intake, it is important to control your portions of this healthy option.   When you do have meat, choose lean cuts to minimize your intake of unhealthy saturated fat and choose fresh sources over processed sources such as hot dogs, sausage, and salami.  And, when you do go with a processed meat, make a wise choice by selecting a lean, reduced-sodium option without “nitrite” preservatives which appear to increase the risk of cancer. 

SOURCE: Harvard School of Public Health, news release, Aug. 10, 2011.  Adapted from report at:  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_115226.html

Broccoli, Cabbage, Other Veggies & Fruits Help Reduce Risk of Colon Cancer

According to a new Australian study, eating fruits and vegetables, especially broccoli and cabbage, may reduce the risk of some colorectal cancers.

In the study, researchers compared the diets of 918 colorectal cancer patients to the diets of 1,021 people with no history of the disease and found that consumption of certain vegetables and fruits was associated with a decreased risk of cancer in the upper and lower portions of the colon.

Consumption of vegetables in the mustard family, including broccoli, kale, cauliflower, turnips, brussel sprouts, and cabbage appeared to most reduce the risk of cancer in the upper colon.  Higher consumption of fruits and vegetables overall was associated with reduced rates of colon cancer in the lower colon.  Increased consumption of apples and yellow vegetables was found to be particularly associated with reduced risk of lower colon cancers. 

What to do:  Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables – depending on your overall needs, at least 2-4 cups daily!  Check out www.myplate.gov for a personalized recommendation on how many fruits and vegetables you are advised to consume, but in general, it is recommended we fill at least half of our plates with fruits and vegetables.  This study adds to many others that have associated fruit and vegetable consumption with lower disease rates.  In particular, healthy consumption of the mustard family vegetables has been associated with lower risk of many different types of cancer as well as overall longevity.  And diets rich in apples, another standout in this study, have also been shown to be associated with reduced risk of stroke and lower blood cholesterol levels.  So, make a point of adding these great cool weather foods to your plates.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Dietetic Association, news release, Sept. 26, 2011.  Report adapted from article at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_116849.html