Just imagining that youve eaten a handful of M&Ms may be enough to keep you from actually popping a bunch in your mouth. Sound like wishful thinking? Well, if you add some real detail about how the chocolates might taste and feel in your mouth, studies show imagining yourself eating might actually work to keep your hands out of the candy bowl.
Turns out, obsessing about a particular food in a vivid way will help it to lose its appeal. In fact, a new study shows that merely thinking about a food (you dont have to see, touch, smell or taste it) will help kill your craving through a process called habituation.
A report in a recent issue of the journal Science described how researchers asked volunteers to devote about a minute and a half to imagining chewing and swallowing 30 M&M's, one after another. Next, the researcher presented the actual bowl of M&Ms. Those volunteers who used their imaginations, ate about half as many candies as volunteers who didnt think about the candies beforehand.
The findings are sweet because they shed doubt on the conventional wisdom that thinking about a food makes you eat more of it. But the studys leader, Carey Morewedge, a professor of social and decision sciences at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, told reporters, "Thought suppression tends to sensitize people to craving. A better way to deal with cravings might be to imagine indulging them."
Morewedge said he believes imaginary eating works because it triggers habituation, a psychological phenomenon that demonstrates why we are able to get used to things that initially seem annoying whether its traffic outside our windows or fluorescent lighting in the supermarket. This happens when extended exposure to a stimulus decreases an organism's response to it. Some experts believe it may also help us lose our appetite. This can be good news for dieters. Just think about it.Here are some other ways to manage food cravings:Avoid buffets: If you want to eat less, don't have a variety of foods available" because that makes it harder to habituate to any one of them.Eat in a quiet place not in front of the TV or at a sidewalk cafe because outside stimuli can also disrupt habituation.Be choosy about nighttime snacks. Mindless eating occurs most frequently after dinner, when you finally sit down and relax.Eat protein at every meal. Protein is more satisfying than carbohydrates or fats.Eat several mini-meals during the day. If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. But when you're hungry all the time, eating fewer calories can be challenging.Add spices to your food for a flavor boost that can help you feel satisfied.Swap a cup of pasta for a cup of vegetables. Simply by eating less pasta or bread and more veggies, you could lose a dress or pants size in a year.Robin Westen is ThirdAges medical reporter. Check for her daily updates. She is the author of Ten Days to Detox: How to Look and Feel a Decade Younger.See what others have to say about this story or leave a comment
