Have a Coke and a Mile (or Five)

Intent

My original intent for this post was to share a study wherein researchers labeled caloric values on sugar sweetened beverages in terms of physical activity expenditure requirements as opposed to actual kcals per serving. Not only was I fascinated by this concept, I thought it was a great idea. So good, in fact, that I shared my findings with a friend and, in turn, she offered another enlightening perspective that I'll share toward the end of the post.

Research

First published in February of 2012, the study, “Reduction in Purchases of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Among Low-Income Black Adolescents After Exposure to Caloric Information” hypothesized that researchers could reduce purchases of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) among adolescents by providing easy-to-understand caloric information. Researchers claim that providing relative caloric information, such as converting calories into a physical activity equivalent, would not only impact the sales of SSBs to adolescents, but also reduce consumption of SSBs, which have been associated with adolescent obesity. They further claim that translating caloric values into “interpretable equivalents” (Bleich et al. 329) made information more accessible to low literacy and low nutritional-literacy populations.

The intervention provided caloric information of SSBs in four corner stores in West Baltimore, Maryland. Some inclusion criteria were that the stores had to be five or fewer blocks from a middle or high school (i.e. within walking distance), the population within the zip code was at least 70% Black, and each store had to sell water and diet soda in their respectable beverage cases. Researchers identified the following three “caloric conditions”: 1-providing an absolute caloric count; 2- a percentage of total recommended daily intake (i.e. percentage daily value); and 3-providing a physical activity equivalent, represented as the number of minutes jogging (Bleich et al. 330). Baseline data was collected at each corner store four weeks prior to the intervention and at two-week periods between each caloric condition (as they were rotated within the six-month study period). Researchers conclude that providing easy-to-understand caloric information, especially when translated into physical activity equivalents, may reduce caloric intake from SSBs among low-income, Black adolescents.

Lead researcher Sara N. Bleich of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, conducted a follow-up study wherein she and fellow researchers examined whether the effects (i.e. low-income, Black adolescents purchasing fewer SSBs, based on translating caloric information into relative term) were persistent.

Opinion

When I shared the findings of this study with my friend – an RN and very opinionated about health issues, particularly as they relate to SES – she had a myriad of responses but the one that struck me the most was this: If a kid [who doesn’t have a lot of money] walks into a convenience store, picks up a bottle of Coke and notices it will take 60 minutes to “work off” that beverage, then the same kid looks at a bottle of water, notices the PA expenditure compared to the Coke, what keeps the kid from choosing the bottle of Coke?  If the kid has two bucks and is getting ready to shoot hoops with his friends, he might think he’s getting “more for his money” similar to putting fuel in a car. Why would I drink water when I know I’m going to be playing ball for the next hour?

Admittedly, it took me a minute to wrap my brain around what my friend was saying as I had to really shift my way of thinking, not just in terms of nutrition but in terms of economics. Then, of course, it made perfect sense. Why wouldn’t an adolescent want more for their money? What has more impact: money or health? My knee-jerk response would be, given the fact the target demographic is both young, thereby seeking instant gratification, and lower SES, the answer is money.

 

Bleich SN, Herring BJ, Flagg DD, Gary-webb TL. Reduction in purchases of sugar-sweetened beverages among low-income Black adolescents after exposure to caloric information. Am J Public Health. 2012;102(2):329-35.

Physician's Prescribing Fruits and Vegetables

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/01/prescribing-vegetables-not-pills/?mabReward=RI%3A14&_r=1

I saw this article in the NY Times and was very happy to see New York starting such an awesome program!  The Harlem Hospital Center enrolled overweight/obese middle school children into an innovative program to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables.  The point of the program was not necessary to lose weight, but to instill healthier eating habits that would in turn cause weight loss, and it has worked.  The program was created by a non-profit organization that promoted increased access to healthy, fresh foods in "food desert" and limited economic areas.  The families in the program are given nutritional education, healthy recipes, and "Health Bucks" which are redeemable at local produce markets, to allow these families to purchase more fruits and vegetables.

This program is stemming off of the already existing food stamps program, however is pushing the consumption of fresh, health produce instead of allowing people to buy whatever they want.  It also is addressing the obesity epidemic through change, and not promoting diet and exercise that is likely to fall on deaf ears.  It follows along with a lot that we have learned throughout the semester, especially how small changes can lead to big differences.

The program found that 90% of families were shopping at farmers markets, and 70% understood more about the benefits of fruits and vegetables.  Spreading awareness and enthusiasm for healthier eating can be a major success in battling obesity.

Recent Yahoo Story

I really don't have time to comment much about this story I've just encountered when I went to check my e-mail on Yahoo about a half-hour ago but it's annoyed me so much I feel I have to at least bring it to everyone's attention.

So the story headline is "This is what happens when  you drink 10 coke's per day," which sounds like it would be really great because it follows the same guinea-pig style that was used in the McDonald's one month diet that came out a few years ago and caused McDonalds to stop offering Super-sized portions. The man in the video goes on a one-month diet where he forces himself to consume 10 cans of regular coke soda per day.

The video actually starts off really well in the sense that the man talks about how crappy he feels and how he doesn't have much of an appetite and is gaining weight exceptionally fast... but then -for anyone with a nutrition background away- he starts to go sour.

He states that one of his friends commented that they were surprised he was gaining so much weight when he was eating less fat than his normal PALEO diet. He says, "I'm Paleo, I eat a lot of fat, I eat a lot of protein...I'm doing this because I want people to know that I'm gaining weight--it's not because of the fat you're eating, it's not the amount of fat I'm eating that's making me gain a pound a day. Because I'm not hungry and I'm not eating as much fat. The change is I'm eating sugar. It's sugar that makes you gain weight."

He continues to say, "It's raised insulin level that makes you gain weight, not the fat...but it's so hard to get out of your mind that fat makes you fat."

And finally, later he says, "I'm surprised at how much weight I've gained in the last few days, and that's because my insulin level has been higher (how is he measuring this???) my fat cells have been qued to store fat, ITS NOT THE ADDITIONAL CALORIES IN THE COKES (oh really?) it's because I'm storing fat because I have a raised insulin level."

So I don't know who this guy is, but he's sure making a lot of public claims that aren't completely supported by the evidence. For one thing, absolutely added calories from the sugar are going to be stored as fat and excess energy. You ARE gaining weight from the calories. Please don't demonize grains. For another, having a high fat diet certainly will also cause weight gain and that's a negative without even knowing what this man's fat lab values are before during and after his 'experiment.'

Plus, there is a big difference between the sugar he's consuming in liquid form in his coke can than, say, a whole wheat piece of high fiber bread. Especially on the way it changes insulin levels and glucose peaks.

Anyway, I really don't have time to get into this because of finals but those are just some of the first things that pop into my head from watching this. You can find the link here and watch for yourself (don't get mad I've already warned you)

Thanks
Erica Houghton, RD

Oh and 10 cans of coke per day is 1,380ish calories
In one month he should gain FROM THE CALORIES (38,640) about 11 pounds. He gained twice that in his 'experiment.' If only he hadn't basically told the public fat doesn't make you gain weight and only sugar tells your fat cells to store energy.

Link: https://www.yahoo.com/health/its-not-news-that-soda-is-bad-for-us-but-it-is-104089767387.html

Anti-Obesity Campaign

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUmp67YDlHY

The way the obesity epidemic is portrayed in this anti obesity campaign made me so upset and frustrated that I’d like to share this with all of you! The video focuses on food and reinforces the myth that obesity is caused by only one thing - eating too much. 

As we know obesity is a combination of genetic, environmental, psychological, social and many other factors that are yet to be determined. It is important the complexity is recognized so someone doesn’t make assumptions just based on eating behavior. This leads to weight bias, as shown in the video.

The parent shames on their child for hiding binge-eating foods in the video by yelling “you can’t do this!”. This is exactly what shouldn’t be done; yet this video is promoting these negative attitudes and behaviors. Children who are teased and victimized are vulnerable to depression; anxiety, low self-esteem and poor self-esteem, which can take a huge toll on emotional well being. This additional increase in vulnerability to unhealthy eating behaviors may reinforce additional weight gain.  

The video also skews the way the epidemic should be looked at and adds to the common myths. It reveals polarized  “black” or “white” thinking. After watching this a viewer might feel that if they made a feeding mistake with their child they are hopeless for life. It can also make viewers think some foods are “good” while others are “bad”.

The video definitely draws attention to the obesity issue but in order to have a positive effect on childhood obesity, there shouldn’t be shocking, stigmatizing and promotion of dissonant thinking. It is not constructive for weight loss and has exactly the opposite effect! This video is a prime example of what we need to change in society. We need positive attitudes, compassion, mindfulness, modeling and less shame!

Fad Diets in the News

If you are from Cleveland, OH or are a basketball fan, LeBron James return to the Cavs has been the talk of the town for months. If you are unaware, LeBron lost a significant amount of weight during his off season; about 67 pounds. This diet plan he followed was classified as the LeBron James Diet-- a new fad diet to add to the list! A quick breakdown of the diet: Allowed: lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats/oils, Not Allowed: grains, refined sugars, alcohol, processed foods and dairy. It a nutshell, its very similar to the paleo/atkins diet.

I was approached by a local news station, WOIO, in Cleveland to help cover a story on the LeBron Diet. Two workers at the news station followed this diet to the best of their ability for one month. In total, they lost around twenty pounds. The role I had in the story was I walked around the grocery store with each participant discussing the diet as well as discussing the pros and cons of the diet. My main concern with helping was I did not want the news station to cut of major keys/important facts I mentioned. I also did not want to sound like I was promoting the diet. Here are a few quotes taken from the article that I was happy they included and did not distort my wording and opinions:

"Nutritionist Pelat admits this kind of diet will knock the pounds off quickly for most people. But, she is adamant about it not being the way to go for anything long term."

"She's concerned about a number of things, including eliminating certain food groups like dairy and grains. They provide nutrients we need like vitamins and even fiber."

"She also points out that going under 1200 calories a day, which could easily happen with this diet, is simply too restrictive and tough on your body. That's why she believes LeBron did the diet in his off-season when strength and energy weren't so crucial."

The news station did a great job at highlighting and stressing how I was not promoting the diet and included tips for following a well-balanced diet more so than following the LeBron (fad diet). I thought this situtaiton fit perfectly into our fad diet lesson. Below is the link to the news story and the article.
http://www.19actionnews.com/story/27406361/health-alert-the-lebron-diet-plan

Just another example of how cognitive distortion can happen-- if LeBron James follows this diet it must work! What they aren't telling you is he was under strict care of doctors and dietitians to monitor his food intake and to make sure he was getting all the right nutrients as well as had a personal chef to prepare his meals. Things most of us do not have and don't think about when beginning or trying fad diets.

How Our Environment Affects The Way We Eat

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/17/slim-by-design-environment-mindless-eating_n_5737688.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living

As nutrition students and professionals in the field we realize there are many factors involved in a healthy lifestyle, and environment plays a huge role in that process.  The article published in the Huffington Post reinforces the significant role our environment plays on what and how much we eat on a daily basis.  Food psychologist and behavioral economist Brian Wansink, P.h.D. and director of The Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University, provides tips in improving food behaviors in various environments.

Interestingly enough, 80% of eating decisions are made within 5 miles of where a person lives.  The grocery store, kitchen, office/work place are the main places where we eat.  Wansink suggests chewing gum before doing grocery shopping to help with cravings and hunger for snack foods.  Also he suggests shopping for the healthiest foods first and eating a healthy snack before shopping can help with the temptation of convenience foods.

In the Kitchen Wansink recommends keeping a fruit bowl out on the counter instead of chips and cereal.  In one study chips and cereal on the counter space were associated with women weighing 21 more pounds than their neighbors.   At the workplace he suggests not eating at the desk because it is associated with eating unhealthy foods and/or later in the day.  When at a restaurant he suggests ordering the entree you want and allowing yourself to have 2 other items.  These items could be an appetizer, alcoholic beverage, or a dessert for example.  People that practice this rule tend to eat 21-23% fewer calories.  These are basic concepts that provide good reminders of everyday environmental triggers that can affect our eating patterns.  

~Amy  DerGurahian

Dietary Change is Easier Said Than Done! (Even when you’re a graduate nutrition student!)

A few weeks ago I gave students in my graduate weight management course an assignment.  They were asked to keep a three-day diet log (really just a decoy assignment) and then to analyze their daily food intake and identify a food that they habitually – or at least regularly – consumed.  Once these tasks were complete, I revealed the real assignment.  I asked them to completely eliminate the food they had identified for one week and to write about their experience. 

The intent of this assignment was allow them to “walk a mile” in the shoes of someone who is attempting to lose weight and being given advice or instruction (usually by well-intentioned nutrition professionals) on how to change their diet and which foods to eliminate.   While the reasons for these suggested changes are obvious to the professional with years of training, experience and insight, they may appear arbitrary – and even punitive – to the patient.    Likewise, dietary habits are just that, habits.  Habits are not easily changed and routines are not easily broken.  Dietary changes, even for a highly motivated individual, are extremely difficult and constantly thwarted by both psychological and physiological cues and sensations, not to mention environmental saboteurs (i.e., friends, family, food marketing and encounters with highly palatable foods).

Here are a few quotes from my students’ reflections:

“I chose to restrict chocolate since this is habitually consumed. Immediately after avoiding the chocolate I felt a sense of frustration and increased preoccupation. I continually thought about the chocolate and other similar (but allowable) items. I didn’t want to be thinking about food, I was trying to let it go. The more I tried to eliminate the thought the more my feelings of discomfort built up.”

“I chose to go without all cheese for a week for this project. At first it wasn’t difficult to think of food to eat without cheese but it became a real struggle upon eating out. Basically it seems that cheese comes on everything in restaurants, especially when you love cheese so much! When I ordered a tuna sandwich at my favorite café I couldn’t bring myself to order it without the pepper jack cheese, which was my first slip up. After I made that slip up, a couple days later I succumbed to cheese pressure from my roommate who would tell me to just eat it! Overall I probably made it a good four days without eating any cheese at all... the experiment was a bit of a fail.”

“…I thought if I am going to expect other people to be able to follow in my footsteps I need to prove that I am strong enough to do the impossible. It was so hard.  On day one my Dad brought home peanut M&Ms, my favorite binge candy which I had to beg him to hide from me.”

“It is easy to say “stop eating fast food” or “stop drinking soda”. But when you are so use to eating or drinking something, it is immensely hard to cut it out of your food. It also is not very sustainable. This is a good reminder that it is very difficult for lifestyle changes to be made.”

“Needless to say, trying not to eat pasta for a whole week was difficult, it was unpleasant, it was impossible. My experience abstaining from pasta can be summed up thusly: ate egg salad for three days, was still hungry, failed miserably. I can definitely see how an environment such as the cafeteria at work can undermine the efforts of anyone who is trying to lose weight, or even trying to eat healthier.”

“I hate to admit this but I found it difficult to complete this assignment. My chosen food to give up for the week was bread. On two days I forgot and was halfway through a sandwich before remembering. Although I don’t usually have toast in the morning, toast seemed to be what I wanted most.”

“It has been years since I’ve been on any type of diet or calorie restriction and I was very happy once the week was over and I could eat whatever I chose to. Although I’m careful with my eating, I never feel restricted and the thought of having to watch everything I eat, as someone on a diet would be doing, is an unpleasant idea.”

Admittedly, the requested changes for this assignment were arbitrary.  But it’s important to remember, that for the average person trying to lose weight, that’s exactly how most expert advice feels.   And while most credible professionals would never recommend total elimination of favorite foods, any dietary alteration is difficult and there are always forces opposing the change, whether they’re physiological or environmental. 

I think it’s interesting to note that even though the students were only asked to give up their favorite food for a week, and even though knew they were going to be held accountable, about half admitted “cheating”.  (And I suspect a few more just didn’t want to admit it!).   We would all do well to “walk a mile” in someone else’s shoes and appreciate the uphill battle fought daily by overweight and obese individuals attempting to make changes to improve their health. 

~Sonya Hauser 

Children in USA are eating fewer calories

I came across this article in NY times which mentions that the overall calorie consumption among children has declined in the past decade thus showing an improving trend in helping treat obesity. This decline was seen among children between the age of 2 to 11 and more among teenage girls.  This analysis was done from 1999 to 2010 and it showed  that the calorie reduction among boys was about 7 percent bringing their total intake to 2100 calories a day and among girls was 4 percent accounting to 1755 calories a day.  The main change was seen in increased amounts of calories from protein foods, reduced amounts of calories coming from carbohydrates whereas those from fats were fairly stable. One of the schools in north Philadelphia was incorporated salad as lunch which might have caused to the surprising drop in calories. This main drop in carbohydrates may have been related to decrease in consumption of sugars present in sugar sweetened beverages and cereal with added sugars. Yet it is unclear if there were other reasons behind the reduced carbohydrate intake.  

Another surprising research was that there was a decline in the consumption of calories coming from fast food among adults. It showed a drop of 1.5% of adult’s total daily intake in 2010 which were 11.3% when compared to the numbers in 2006 which was 12.8%. This decline was observed more 40-59 year old.

Though these numbers show some positive outlook, many more years of research is needed to make this a big change in the current obesity epidemic.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/us/children-in-us-are-eating-fewer-calories-study-finds.html

US ranked 8th most obese nation

I came across this article that lists some of the countries with the highest rates of obesity. It was interesting to note that the United States is only the 8^th most obese nation in the world with an obesity rate of 31.8%. I think there has been some misconception that the US has the highest obesity rates in the world.  According to the updated Food Service Index, the most obese nation is Kuwait with an obesity rate of 42.8%. Other Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and UAE round up the top 5. The US is the most food secure nation where as the least food secure nations include Congo, Chad, Madagascar, Tanzania and Haiti. The FSI takes into account affordability, food availability, quality and safety and also adjusts for external factors when measuring global food security.

For more of the FSI findings check out the article at 

http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/World-s-most-obese-nation-Kuwait-and-the-next-four-are-Middle-Eastern

Breakthrough in Diabetes Research

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2014/10/10/scientists-create-breakthrough-recipe-to-grow-insulin-secreting-cells-by-the-billions/

Scientists have recently discovered how to create insulin-secreting cells from human stem cells. This would allow those with Type 1 Diabetes to be able to create insulin-secreting cells on their own, thus eliminating the need for insulin injections. The patients receiving the transplant of human cells are forced to take immunosuppressant drugs to prevent their bodies from destroying the foreign cells. This is the biggest risk to the patient, because their immune system will be compromised while taking the drugs which may allow for viruses and bacteria to possibly run rampant. As of now, the possibility of the transplant  is rare, with just 1,000 patients who have received it. The article states that the cells are incredibly difficult to obtain; the cells have been difficult to produce artificially and are difficult to retrieve from cadavers.

I feel that this is an issue that needs some publicity so that more progress can be made...Here lies, basically, a cure for those with Type 1 Diabetes, yet it is near impossible to receive a transplant. If this transplant were made readily available to the public, other healthcare costs/risks could greatly be reduced.

"The Impact of a Motivational Digital Video Disc on Parental Knowledge of Obesity-Related Disease in an Adolescent Clinic"

http://www.andjrnl.org/article/S2212-2672(14)00457-2/fulltext#sec1.1 

With the obesity epidemic booming, numerous studies are addressing this issue to help find the answer and how to increase weight loss. I found this research article very interesting because it is using a DVD to help educate and motivate clients to lose weight.

This was a randomized controlled design to compare impact of a 7- minute DVD plus standard care vs. just standard care on outcomes to overweight/obese adolescents. The standard care included assessments of height weight, an complete vital signs, nutrition/dietary intake, and psychosocial factors review. Also included verbal and written nutrition education to help to increase knowledge and plan weight loss schedule. The clinical trial was just 40 adolescents aged from 12 to 18 years old and their parents who were referred for weight management and attending a first appointment with a physician or nurse practitioner at the adolescent clinic. The DVD was developed using input of adolescents to motivate the youth to reach a healthy weight and to educate the families about obesity-related health risks.

The results showed that the DVD plus standard care was more effective then the standard care alone. Also the parents gained more knowledge on obesity-related diseases. Even though the results did show positive feedback the study also concluded that they would need to get a larger sample size and all ages to help determine if the DVD would be beneficial in a larger scale.

This study is just a start of using real life picture and technology to help weight management. This study also included the parents which is very important at this age since these adolescents still are living at home and parents are cooking for them. The person needs to be aware of the health risks but so do the parents. 

How Technology Can Aid in Weight Loss

In the world of advancing technology almost everyone has access to the internet. In some ways this is great, giving more knowledge to anyone looking. However, it also gives way for more confusion. Suddenly, a celebrity can be an expert on nutrition or a new diet plan can spread across the world, even when it is unrealistic or even worse unsafe for long term plan.

But with this access to technology, it can also provide tools for those who are looking for help. A phrase in the world of nutrition, especially among doctors and dietitians, is "the number one predictor of weight loss is keeping a food diary, the number one predictor of weight maintenance is exercise." This saying has been backed by multiple studies, and seems to be at least a good place for most people to start who are determined to lose or maintain their weight.

When I started my Bachelor's degree over 6 years ago, I had an assignment to keep a food diary. Back then, you had to drag around a piece of paper or spiral, write everything down by hand. Then you had to look at labels or look up in a book or online each specific food and write down all of the nutrients we were tracking. We only had to do it for 4 days, but I didn't ever want to do it again. I couldn't imagine someone having the stamina and determination to keep it up for a week, let alone months or years. Now there are apps such as MyFitness Pal. They have a large database of foods with their nutrition. You select how much you ate and it counts it toward your daily tally. Once you eat the food once, it is in your history and is even easier to find the next time. It makes it much easier to keep track of calories and goals for things such as calories and fat. It becomes a habit after a while, and before you know it, you've been tracking what you ate for over 3 months!

Then exercise. Some people are gym rats and will find time no matter what. But what about the people who are working 60 hour weeks or two or three jobs just trying to provide for their family? What about people who cannot afford to have a gym membership, and have no exercise to nice facilities? In multiple studies, it has been found that taking 10,000 steps a day is about equal to exercising moderately for 30 minutes. Some may ask how this works. But think about it. I'm 5'2",my brother is just under 6'. When I walk with him, I generally have to take 2-3 steps to match his one. 

The great thing about this knowledge is almost everyone can add walking to their day. They can take the stairs instead of the elevator. They can park in the back of the grocery store parking lot. They can walk around their building at lunch. Pedometers are widely available and can be anywhere from $5-$500, making it possible for any budget to get one. 

Continue to watch technology. There are daily new apps and gadgets that can help people learn to watch what they eat, be more active, and live a healthier life.

"How School Lunch Became the Latest Political Battleground"

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/12/magazine/how-school-lunch-became-the-latest-political-battleground.html

I wanted to share this article with you all about the all too familiar battle of childhood obesity. It was forwarded to me as a employee of the Stowe Food Service in Vermont, a place that doesn't have a high obesity rate. I work in an elementary school cooking these exact meals for about 150 students per day and want to express the difficulties, and benefits these rules have on us.

This article perfectly describes the battle in finding a common ground between feeding kids too much and not feeding them enough. While childhood obesity is a very serious issue it is also a problem to assume every student needs exactly the same diet nutrition wise. The main problem is that the Health, Hunger-Free Kids Act is grouping the nutrition requirements (and calorie restrictions) by grade which can leave one student feeling satisfied while another may still be hungry.

The main benefit I see, working in the elementary level, is teaching healthy eating habits at a young age that will hopefully stick with them throughout their lives. Introducing kids to new vegetables like spaghetti squash or roasted beets is not something that most of us had the opportunity of in elementary school.

There are definitely some kinks that need to be worked out but I definitely don't think that it needs to be considered the "latest political battleground." What needs to be kept in mind is providing school children healthy meals that will allow them to concentrate and remain healthy throughout life.

Mindless Eating

Hi Class,

I wanted to post about some of my experiences dealing with and investigating how what we eat and how much we eat is affected by our mental status in terms of preconceived or learned notions/habits (like saying we don't like something when we've never actually tried it). My interest into this subject was sparked when I read "Mindless Eating," by Brian Wansink--if you haven't read it yet I highly recommend that you do!
Brian Wansink is the current Chair of Marketing at Cornell University and has devoted much of his life to understanding how humans interact with their eating environment (and I believe his second book either just came out or is very close to being published).

 Mindless Eating provides examples of small scale and large scale experiments he performed alone or in collaboration with his students or other entities (including the military) which provide insight into how we interact with our food--and why.

As an example for those less familiar with his work; in Mindless Eating, Brian described an experiment he conducted to test a person's level of awareness about how their eating habits and their mindfulness was influenced or changed based on an altered meal experience.

The restaurant he used was called "The Spice Box," which was disguised as a fine-dining establishment but in actuality was a giant food testing laboratory. Plates had hidden weight scales, lighting and music were carefully controlled, and all employees were actually student researchers. The employees but not the patrons were aware of an invisible 'line,' between two halves of the restaurant that represented a divide between what patrons on the right side of the restaurant would experience for their dinner from patrons on the left. (So maybe patrons on the left received smaller plates than patrons on the right as an example of this division).

In this particular experiment to test awareness there was only one single change made from the right side to the left side of the Spice Box. Patrons on the left were to receive complementary wine which they were told came from a new vinyard in California while patrons on the right were to receive wine which they were told was from a new vinyard in Iowa (or thereabouts but somewhere not associated with fine vinyards).
Everything else was the SAME between halves. Same food, same atmosphere and even...the SAME wine! The trick in this research was that both sides did receive the same absolutely rubbish local wine. It was so bad the locals actually called it "two-buck chuck," because it was only $2 a bottle.

So what happened? Did both halves of the restaurant spit up their wine and leave disgusted?

On the contrary; the half of the restaurant that believed they had wine from California stayed over an hour (so long that they had to be rushed out for the next batch of subjects) ate almost all of their food and rated their experience as overall superb. On the other half patrons who thought their wine was from Iowa ate only half their meal on average and left as quickly as they could rating their experience as overall negative.

…… wait what?

It was the SAME wine. So what caused the difference in experience? It was purely mental. Because patrons on the side that received wine ONLY FICTIONALLY from Iowa— believed their wine was from a bad area or an area not known for good wine they put the cabbosh to their whole experience so that even the food was rated poorly.

What's more incredible is that when researchers contacted the participants and asked if they believed they were mindless about their actions and how they rated their experiences they said, "No, I was not." Both sides had the same answer and refused to admit that the single perception about their wine changed their dining experience. When we have evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that they were.

The point to his research is that everyone falls victim to mindless eating and we all refuse to admit it.
So during my Community internship last year my preceptor allowed me to run with this inspiration and present to 10 different senior lunch locations about "Mindless Eating." But we wanted to make sure our audience didn’t fall victim to the same thought as the people in Brian’s research so often do and probably the people reading this right now—It’s fine to read or hear about because it doesn’t happen to me.

This is what we did; at the beginning of the presentation for every single group my preceptor and I asked the audience if they wanted to play a game as an ice breaker and to get everyone interested. We then passed around pieces of paper and pencils to all participants and asked them just to write down HOW MUCH THEY WOULD EXPECT TO PAY OR PAY in a restaurant for different dishes we were going to describe. That’s all they needed to do, just listen to our descriptions and write down what they think they would pay for the dish.

We read a TOTAL OF 6 dish descriptions to the participants and collected all their pieces of paper. Then I would continue with the presentation and describe Brian’s work, coming back to our game at the very end of the material I had.

I told the audience that I tricked them. What my preceptor and I actually described to them were the SAME three dishes. One description was extremely detailed and savory sounding (with words like decadent or delicious) and one was extremely plain (like baked chicken with garlic). While I had been talking my preceptor tallied up the responses (which had been labeled for each guess against our key) and had averages of their own answers by this point in the presentation.

I then asked the audience if they thought they answered that they would pay more for dishes I described in more savory detail…they said no absolutely not.

Every single presentation I did fell for the same trick. They all said that they would pay more for a dish that simply sounded more expensive—but was the same thing!

I obviously find this kind of research crucial to understanding why we eat what we eat. I think our minds play tricks on us all day long, like a cognitive distortion that’s build into the way we conduct and navigate our eating environment.

Brian actually states in his book, “The best diet is the one you don’t know you’re on,” and I couldn’t agree more. Instead of stressing yourself out all day about calories etc just get tiny plates. You’ll think you’re eating just as much as before and you’ll naturally lose weight without changing the rest of your life. Then you add more fruits and vegetables, then you add some exercise. I think understanding this interaction is key to understanding and reversing overweight/obesity.

What do you think?