Control for Candy Cravings
Tip Control for Candy Cravings
The trick to avoiding a candy binge? Surprising as this sounds: Put the minipacks away, and take a small handful from a big bag instead.
Treats in small Halloween-size packages can trick even careful eaters into overindulging. In a recent study, people concerned about their waistlines ate more high-calorie snacks when given small bags instead of big ones.
Persuasive Packets
Why? In a related study, minipacks of foods like M&M’s and little cookies led people to go overboard because they viewed the smaller portions as “healthier” versions of high-calorie treats. And careful eaters were less likely to even open big bags of candy, unlike snack packs. Which means small bags may do a better job of luring you into high-calorie munching in the first place.
Caveat for the Unconcerned
One alert: According to the study, minis don’t seem to make everyone overeat — only those who are concerned about managing their weight. People who weren’t concerned about gaining weight munched more snacks from large bags than small ones. Either way, what it all boils down to is portion control.
Eat Less by Keeping This in Mind
So you grabbed a bag of chips, and a short while later, you were down to the crumbs. How’d that happen?
While you’re figuring that out, here’s how you can stop it from happening again: Practice mindful eating. There’s a growing army of slim people singing this savor-the-moment practice.
Your Mantra:
Relax, Focus
To teach yourself how to eat mindfully, start with a raisin. Take a deep, relaxing breath as you pick it up. Look at it for a few seconds. Smell it. Place it in your mouth and roll it around on your tongue. Feel the wrinkles. Now bite. Note the chewy, gritty texture — the sweet, fruity, astringent taste. Extract all the flavor before you swallow. That’s kind of the idea with mindful eating — to savor the look, smell, texture, and taste of every bite. And it works! It had a huge impact on curbing chronic binge eating in a recent study.
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:03 am
[...] Dawn Castleberry wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptTip Control for Candy Cravings. The trick to avoiding a candy binge? Surprising as this sounds: Put the minipacks away, and take a small handful from a big bag instead. Treats in small Halloween-size packages can trick even careful … [...]