Do you ever eat lunch while checking email on your iPhone or reading the newspaper? Unfortunately, we live in a society where doing two or three things at once is the norm – but there are downsides. When you’re distracted by email, the latest news stories or your favorite reality shows, you’re not focused on the food going into your mouth. According to a new study, this can lead to more snacking later in the day.
Distracted eating hasn’t always been so common. According to research published in the Public Health Nutrition Journal, people who eat while carrying out another task has risen dramatically over the past 30 years. Sitting down to enjoy an undistracted meal is slowly becoming a thing of the past as more people eat lunch in their car, behind a desk, and other places where distractions abound.
The latest study, published in the journal Appetite, takes a closer look at the downsides of distracted eating. Researchers tested the effect these three types of distractions had on food consumption. In one experiment, the participants ate while watching television. In another, they ate while playing a computer game while, in a third setting, they dined without distractions.
In both distracted dining situations, the participants ate more snacks later in the day than they did when they dined free of distractions. This study adds to a growing body of evidence that fully engaging in a meal rather than doing something else while you eat impacts how much satisfaction you get from that meal and how much you eat later on.
Why Distracted Dining is Counterproductive
One theory is that when you eat while multitasking, your brain has less recall of what you ate. The fact that you ate a meal doesn’t register as strongly and you have a greater desire to snack later in the day. Research shows people who multitask during a meal eat faster and have more problems remembering what they ate. They also feel less satisfied. Another drawback to distracted eating is you’re less likely to enjoy the time you spent eating.
Interestingly, in this study, food-related cues had an impact. When participants ate a meal while watching food images on television, similar to what they were eating, they became less distracted and more focused on the task at hand. Seeing food images served as a gentle reminder that they were eating a meal and made them more mindful of what they were eating.
Distracted Dining versus Mindful Food Eating
Do you distract yourself when you eat? It’s easy to do without even being aware of it. Have you ever grabbed a magazine to flip through while you eat? Time to ditch the magazine and stop eating on auto-pilot. Instead, cultivate the habit of mindful eating. With mindful eating, you immerse yourself in the experience of consuming a meal. Rather than distract yourself with a book or electronic device, focus on the taste, smells and textures of what you’re eating. If you’re accustomed to wolfing down meals without tasting them and eating on the run, changing your ways to eat take practice.
Here’s a suggestion. Eat like a Buddhist. When Buddhists eat a meal they chew slowly and give thanks for the texture and aroma of what goes in their mouth. Not only do they eat in a calm, undistracted environment, but they also consume each meal in silence so they can focus only on the food. Buddhists even turn eating a meal into a meditative experience: why can’t you do the same? You don’t have to live in a Buddhist monastery to be a more mindful eater. Here are some tips:
Eat in a quiet room without distractions. Cut the television off and keep all electronic devices out of reach.
When you take the first few bites of a meal, concentrate on the taste and textures of each mouthful. Describe each one in your mind. Try to identify each ingredient by taste.
If you’re eating with someone, put your fork down after each bite and pause. When you slow the pace of a meal, it allows your satiety hormones to kick in before you’ve finished your meal and had time to go back for seconds. You’ll also get less indigestion!
Think about where the food on your plate came from. By doing this, you’ll form a deeper connection with what you eat and will make smarter dietary choices.
Make mealtime the most relaxing part of your day. Use it as a time to relax and unwind.
Break the habit of eating at your desk, in your car or anywhere else where you have distractions.
Engage as many senses as possible when you eat – taste, smell, sight, touch and even hearing. Hear how the food sounds when you bite into it.
Practice taking smaller bites and chewing longer at least 25 times, until it becomes a habit.
Gauge your level of hunger from one to five before eating a snack. If it’s only a one or two, skip.
Give thanks for what’s on your plate.
The Bottom Line
Mindfulness leads to greater satisfaction and more enjoyment when you eat a meal. By becoming more mindful, you’ll be more satiated with less food and feel less need to snack. Being mindful can also help you make smarter food choices and curb the habit of eating when you’re not hungry.
It’s not always easy to change your eating habits, but becoming a less distracted, more mindful eater can pay off big dividends. Change the way you think about food and you’ll get more joy out of eating – and eating healthy.
References:
FoodNavigator.com. “Driven to Distraction: Low Attention to Food Leads to Later Snacking”
Public Health Nutr. 2010 Jul;13(7):1064-72. doi: 10.1017/S1368980009992138. Epub 2009 Nov 30.
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The Role Psychological Factors Play in How Much and What We Eat
5 Ways to Curb Mindless Overeating
4 Ways Eating Nuts Can Help Control Your Weight
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5 Things to Do When Your Eating Habits Get Off Track
