Public Spark

Recently, I read Brian Wansink’s book called Mindless Eating and was immediately captivated. It is an in depth look into understanding why and what we eat. I will be pointing out specific examples in this blog, which are spoilers so be warned!

These are some of the themes mentioned in the book that apply to my life:

• Seeing food=Eating more

  Whenever snacks are more visible you eat more. I used to have all the snacks lying around especially during the college days. I would eat candy or whatever was in my sight. It was easy to get to and convenient, which was the problem. Once I stored them, my volume for eating greatly decreased. I still get to enjoy my snacks, but I don’t overeat.

• Men vs women

  On dates men eat more, women eat less. Studies have shown that men thought eating more was a sign of strength and therefore attractive. Women are believed to think that eating less is a sign of femininity. When I first started dating, I lost a lot of weight. Looking back, it was not deliberate, but rather unconscious. Perhaps we are naturally conditioned this way.

• Saving the best for last?

  Some people save their best foods for last, while others eat their best first. Wansink talks about this partly being a result of whether a person comes from a large family or not. Those that come from a large family tend to eat their best foods first in fear that it will be eaten by other members. On the other hand, only children will save their best for last because the fear does not exist. I asked my father, who came from a large family whether he saved his best food for last. He answered first. I on the other hand, am an only child and have always saved my best food for last.

• Comfort foods due to associations

  Comfort foods are not just for taste, but are also linked to positive associations. One of my comfort foods is ice cream. This has a lot to do with great memories surrounding ice cream. During mother daughter summer shopping days, my mom would get a tasty ice cream for us. I have fond memories of talking and laughing with her, while our ice creams dripped. Also, on one of my dates, my boyfriend bought me ice cream. I remember it being a fun and and happy experience.