Entertaining, Buffets, Parties, Events

Do You Believe You Make About 200 Food Decisions Every Day?

January 17, 2012 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Do you ever think about how many daily food decisions you make or how your environment influences those decisions?

The Cornell Food and Brand Lab, directed by Dr. Brian Wansink, did some studies that showed that people grossly underestimate how many daily food related decisions they make – not by a little but by an average of more than 221 decisions.

And, most people are also either unaware of how their environment influences their decisions — or they’re unwilling to acknowledge it.

Who, What, Where, When, And How Much

In one study the Food and Brand Lab asked 139 people to estimate how many decisions they make about food and beverages during one day. Then they were specifically asked how many “who, what, where, when, and how much” decisions they made for a typical snack, beverage, and meal – and how many meals, snacks, and beverages they ate during a typical date.

14.4 VS. 226.7 Decisions

The researchers then created an index to help them estimate the number of total decisions made daily. On average, people guessed they made 14.4 food related decisions each day. Amazingly, the researchers estimated that the average person in the study made 226.7 food related decisions each day. Obese people who participated in the study made 100+ more food related decisions than overweight people.

Larger Packages, Bowls, And Plates

A second study of 379 people analyzed the effect of environmental factors like package size, serving bowl size, and plate size on how much they ate. Half of the people were assigned to what was called “exaggerated treatment” – they had larger packages, bowls, and plates than the other half of the people in the study. On average, 73% of the people who received “exaggerated treatment” thought they ate as much as they normally would – except they actually ate 31% more than the people who ate from the regular size packages, plates, and bowls.

When they were told how much more they ate and then were asked why they thought they might have eaten more:

8% admitted they might have eaten more
21% said they didn’t eat more
69% said that if they did eat more it was because they were hungry
Only 4% believed they had eaten more because of the larger sizes that acted as environmental cues.

Bottom Line

We make, on average, 200+ food related decisions each day and those decisions are heavily influenced by environmental factors like the size of food packaging and the bowls and plates we use for our food.

For additional information: Wansink, Brian and Jeffrey Sobal (2007), “Mindless Eating: The 200 Daily Food Decisions We Overlook,” Environment and Behavior 39:1, 106-123.

No, I Don’t Want A Piece Of Pie

January 10, 2012 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Have you ever said, “No, I don’t care for any” to seconds or “No, thank you” to dessert – but your host or dinner companion just won’t give up?

“You’ve gotta try it, it’s great, “ or “Oh, come on, just a little taste,” or “Have just a little more.” It goes on and on and on and you want to scream, “No, and I mean, No.”

Unfortunately, many of us cave in to the pressure – because the food really does look tempting and your willpower and commitment has been eroded — or because we just want the annoying beseeching to go away. It can be aggravating – maybe infuriating – and at times embarrassing — when they keep pressuring you to have a taste, or take some more, or, worse yet, shove their forks in your face.

Why Do They Do It?

Who knows what motivates people who pressure you and won’t give up. Maybe it’s their own guilt about what they’ve eaten and they want company while they wallow in the “I shouldn’t of had that.”

Maybe it’s a reflection of their fear that if you lose weight you’ll look so much better than they do and you’ll also show them up as self-perceived “dietary failures.”

Or, maybe, like some of my relatives, they’re just programmed to push your buttons along with pushing you to taste and eat.

What You Can Do

There are a few ways to handle these saboteurs/relatives/frenemies. One is to take the high road and explain that you’re satisfied with what and how much you’ve already eaten since you’re trying to watch your weight and eat clean. If they persist you can try saying again that you’re comfortably full and really don’t want more food. If they keep at it stare them down and ask why the heck they care so much about what you eat.

Now, that may “piss” someone off so you might try to still be firm but a little more gentle without hurting someone’s feelings. Although – being polite and gentle hasn’t worked so far and they’re hurting yours . . .

Using the health card almost always works. Claiming you’re on a diet usually doesn’t. It’s hard to argue or persist with the pressure when you say that your doctor told you that you had to watch your cholesterol or that you have a food allergy. There are excellent times when little white lies that harm no one and potentially save your waistline and your relationships are the best solution.

Then again, to shut someone up you could always take the food, take one little nibble, keep smiling, and leave it on the nearest table or toss it in the garbage on a stroll toward the rest room.

How Many Calories Are In A “Mindless Bite”?

January 3, 2012 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Are your pants feeling a bit tight and you can’t figure out why?

It’s those mindless bites that will get you. Each one of those “shove it in your mouth without thinking about it” bites is worth about 25 calories. Do the math. If you have four mindless bites a day above and beyond your daily calorie needs that means possibly gaining slightly less than a pound a month (it takes 3500 calories to gain a pound — and yes, you need a deficit of 3500 calories to lose a pound).

Do You Do Any Of These?

Snag a piece of candy from the bowl on someone’s desk

Scoop the last bit of leftovers from the pot into your mouth

Taste the cookie dough batter then lick the beaters

Finish the crust off of your kid’s grilled cheese sandwich

Sample the bar food while having a drink

Taste the free “want to try” foods when you’re shopping

Have “just a taste” of your friend’s or spouse’s dessert

Eat the freebie cookies or candy that come with the check in restaurants

Twenty-five

Ouch! Each bite adds up to — on average — 25 calories (sometimes more, sometimes less).

Be aware of what you’re eating – especially when you’re not really eating. Most of us don’t have a clue how many calories – or even bites – we’ve shoved into our mouths at times other than meals. Unfortunately, all of those calories that we eat when we’re not eating meals not only count but add up to those pounds gained — and you can’t figure out why you gained them.

What To Do

Keep track of when and where you’re most likely to indulge in the mindless bites you shove down the hatch while you’re walking, talking, socializing, working, and driving.

The most effective method is to try to write down what you eat. That may be a pain but might serve as a real “heads-up” because a written record is hard to deny. If you don’t want to write it down (I must admit I have trouble doing that) at least be aware of your mindless bites – and decide if you want to eliminate, control, or include them in your daily calories.

Awareness is a good thing — especially if it makes your jeans fit better.

Celebrating The New Year In Good Eating Style

December 27, 2011 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

The earliest recorded celebration of the arrival of the new year dates back 4,000 years ago in ancient Babylon. The first new moon following the vernal equinox, or the day in the spring with an equal amount of sunlight and darkness, signaled the start of a new year.

Today, New Year’s Day–the first day of the calendar year–is celebrated in almost every country in the world, but depending the type of calendar, not all countries or cultures welcome the New Year on January 1st. The Chinese, Egyptian, Jewish, Roman, and Mohammedan years all have different start dates.

January 1 was recognized as New Years Day in the 1500’s with the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar. In 1582 most Catholic countries adopted the Gregorian calendar but the British didn’t adopt it until 1752. Until then the British Empire and their American colonies celebrated the new year in March.

Some Traditions and Legends

In ancient Rome the first day of the New Year honored Janus, the god of gates, doors, beginnings and endings. Janus had two faces. One looked ahead to see what the new year would bring and the other looked backward to see what had happened during the past year. To celebrate, the Romans gave gifts to friends and family members –and sometimes to Senators in exchange for favors.
Druid priests In England celebrated the New Year on March 10. They gave branches of mistletoe to people for charms. Later on, English people cleaned their chimneys on New Year’s Day believing that this brought good luck to the household for the coming year (which is where the expression “cleaning the slate” comes from).
In many countries people eat specific foods to bring good luck for the coming year. In Spain they eat grapes, round fruits in the Philippines, suckling pig in Austria, soba noodles in Japan, rice pudding in Norway, black-eyed peas in the southern US, and cake with a hidden coin in Greece. Other common worldwide customs are making resolutions–which dates to the Babylonians, and watching fireworks.
Chinese New Year, an all East and Southeast Asia celebration, is known as “Spring Festival” in China. Filled with tradition and ritual it’s usually considered the most important traditional holiday for Chinese around the world. It begins on the first day of the first month in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar and is celebrated with lucky red envelopes filled with money, lion and dragon dances, drums, fireworks, firecrackers. Traditional sweet sticky the last course rice cakes and round savory dumplings symbolize never-ending wealth. On New Year’s Eve the meal includes fish to symbolize abundance. In the first five days of the New Year people eat long noodles to symbolize long life and round dumplings shaped like the full moon to represent the family unit and perfection.

Some New Year’s Eve Tips

If you have big plans for New Year’s Eve, enjoy yourself by devising an eating strategy before you go out and committing to carrying it out. If you’re watching your weight, have a plan – you can still enjoy yourself and not feel deprived. With a plan you design just for you, you’ll have a much better chance at succeeding – and not end up hating yourself and cursing the scale on the first day of the New Year. Here are some ideas:

If you’re going to a party with lots of hors d’oeuvres decide beforehand how many you’ll have. Three varieties, one of each? Two varieties, two of each?
Alternate your drink of choice – wine, champagne, liquor – with sparkling water to cut calories, help with sobriety, and make it easier for you to resist food temptations. Hold that glass of sparkling water or diet soda in your hand – the only people who will know it’s non-alcoholic is you and the bartender (who most likely could care less about what you are drinking).
If you’re going to dinner decide if you’re going to have dessert ahead of time. If you are going to indulge – even if it’s the house specialty smothered in whipped cream — compensate by having a salad with dressing on the side as your appetizer. Nix the bread. Just balance your caloric intake the best you can.
If it’s a pizza, wings, and beer affair think about ways to minimize your fat intake – pizza and wings (especially the dip) are loaded. Cut the pizza slice in half – leave the other half in the box. When you go back for seconds, retrieve the other half slice. You’ll end up eating just one slice but feel like you’re having two. If you can, take off some of the cheese – the main source of fat. Some people use paper towels or napkins to absorb some of the extra fat floating on the surface of a slice. Up to you – but it really cuts down on calories – mopping up the equivalent of two teaspoons of oil knocks off just under 100 calories.

How Far You’d Need To Walk to Burn Off A New Year’s Party Calories

If you go to a New Year’s party and have:

one Irish coffee
one glass of wine
one cup of coffee with cream and sugar
one cup of eggnog
one 3 oz Stinger
5 large olives
half a cup of mixed nuts
one oz of potato or tortilla chips
one teaspoon of chip dip, a mini-quiche
2 oz of boiled shrimp with cocktail sauce
two chocolate mints
one slice of pecan pie with half a cup of ice cream
one small piece of fudge
one iced gingerbread cookie

you would have consumed 27030 calories and you would need to walk 27.03 miles, or 54060 steps (assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps) to burn off those calories.

Traditional Hanukkah Food: Calories And Tips

December 20, 2011 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Hanukkah (or Chanukah), the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish celebration that commemorates the second century BC victory of the Maccabees over the Syrians. After the victory Judah called on his followers to cleanse the Second Temple, rebuild its altar, and light its menorah, the gold candelabrum with seven branches representing knowledge and creation.

The Temple needed to be rededicated by lighting the N’er Tamid (eternal light present in every Jewish house of worship), which shouldn’t be extinguished once lit. Only one jar of untainted sacramental oil was found which was barely enough to burn for one day, but miraculously, the small amount of oil continued to burn for eight days and eight nights.

Traditional Hanukkah Foods

Hanukkah is a time of joy and family celebration, fun and traditional foods. Since oil, especially olive oil, is the main ingredient in the ‘Nes Chanukah,’ the Miracle of Chanukah, oil-based foods are favorite recipes on this holiday. ‘Levivot,’ also known as ‘Latkes,’ simple potato pancakes, as well as ‘sufganiyot,’ jelly donuts, are very popular during Chanukah.

Although Hanukkah foods can represent serious temptation for anyone, following some tips will help you succeed (and still honor the holiday) instead of “starting over” after the New Year.

Some Hanukkah Cooking Tips

Some oils are a healthy addition to a balanced diet while others are not. However, oil is still oil regardless of type. It is high in calories and fat, and even a small amount can put you over your calorie needs.
The word “light” or “lite” on oil labels refers to the oil’s taste, not its calorie or fat content.
Avoid cooking with tropical oils, like coconut or palm, which are high in saturated fats. Use healthy oils like olive, canola, and peanut which are high in monounsaturated fats. Other good oil choices are: corn, soybean, safflower, and grapeseed.
Make latkes ahead of time and freeze them for up to two weeks layering them between wax paper in airtight containers. Bake them (don’t refry) at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes before serving. Drain on paper towels. Consider mixing the grated potatoes with other shredded vegetables such as carrots or parsnips to lighten the starchy calories.
Aim to reduce the amount of oil in the fried food. Draining on paper towels after frying keeps the taste and tradition but sops up excess oil and reduces the fat and calories.
Frying your foods in a non-stick skillet (even if it sounds like defeating the purpose of the non-stick surface) allows you to use less oil.

Calories In Traditional Hanukkah Foods

Applesauce, sweetened, ½ cup: 95 calories; 0g fat
Applesauce (unsweetened), ½ cup: 50 calories; og fat
Fried potato latke, 2oz: 200 calories; 11g fat
Matzo Ball, 1 large: 90 calories; 3g fat
Chicken soup with matzo ball, 1 cup: 185 calories; 8g fat
Fried, cheese-filled blintz, 1 medium: 340 calories, 15g fat
Baked jelly-filled sufganiyot, 2 inches: 115 calories, 1g fat
Fried jelly-filled sufganiyot, 2 inches: 300 calories; 15g fat
Almond Mandelbrot, ¼ inch slice: 45 calories; 2g fat
Rugelach, 1 cookie: 100 calories; 7g fat