Fat from eating "to go"?

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A sandwich on hand, a piece of pizza “to go”: this kind of snack for on the go is practical and saves time. But if you eat it while walking, you may risk unpleasant extra pounds. "Walking distracts too much from eating," explains Prof. Jane Ogden, who led an experiment on the subject. "It interferes with the dampening effect that food normally has on our feeling of hunger."

The researcher and her team have investigated how different forms of distraction while eating affect the subsequent intake of food. Interestingly, walking has a particularly strong influence on subsequent eating behavior.

Distracted from the food

The psychologist and her team won 60 students for the experiment - around half of them stated that they were reluctant to eat, while the rest were less concerned about their diet. The researchers had the test subjects each consume a muesli bar within five minutes in different situations: in conversation with another participant, while watching TV or while they were strolling around in the hallway. The women were then asked to take part in a taste test. They were served chocolate, carrots, grapes and chips. They were instructed to indicate how good they liked the different snacks and were asked to eat as much as they wanted.

The subsequent evaluation showed that women who had stated that they refrained from eating also did so in this experiment - with one exception: those of them who had consumed their bar while walking ate significantly more chocolate than all the other participants in the subsequent taste test . In particular, they ate five times more chocolate, but also more grapes, chips and carrots than the relaxed eaters who had also been walking around.

Less satiety

"The feeling of satiety is not only influenced by the brain and biochemical reactions, but also by emotions, learned behavior and the degree of distraction," says Ogden. "If we eat while walking or while we are sitting in front of the computer, we are distracted from our meal and then feel less full."

The researcher suspects that another psychological effect plays a role when walking: “Walking, even if you only walk up and down a corridor, can possibly be perceived as a form of sporting activity. With this one can subconsciously justify a larger intake of food - as a reward, so to speak. "

Take time to eat

While walking while eating had the greatest impact on eating later, researchers believe that other forms of distraction could also encourage weight gain.

Various previous studies have actually shown that distraction while eating can significantly increase the amount of food consumed. In particular, eating in front of the television and eating at work were examined in this regard.

The researchers therefore recommend taking the time to take a proper lunch break instead of eating at your desk. This would make you feel more full and help you eat less throughout the day. (cf)

Source: Jane Ogden et al .: Distraction, restrained eating and disinhibition: An experimental study of food intake and the impact of eating on the go ’; J Health Psychol, 1359105315595119, first published on August 20, 2015

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