When Healthy Food Isn't Healthy
By Mary Anne Dunkin
You always order the grilled chicken sandwich instead of fried nuggets. You stock your pantry with low-fat versions of your favorite snacks. Yet, you keep gaining weight. What’s the problem?
Brian Wansink, PhD, author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think (Bantam, 2006), says, “There is a halo surrounding healthy foods. Because we believe these foods are good, we think we can eat as much as we want.”
Wansink’s research shows that when given low-fat snacks, people end up consuming 28 percent more calories. And he found people chose beverages, side dishes and desserts containing up to 131 percent more calories when the main dish was positioned as healthy.
What’s the solution? Wansink recommends choosing the food you really want, but eating just half a serving. You won’t feel deprived, and you’ll consume fewer calories.
How to escape the mindless eating trap: Advice from Brian Wansink
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