The season is upon us for barbeques, graduations, weddings and other fun times with family and friends. With social time comes social eating; here are some tips to help you not overindulge.
Eating is a social behavior, and many of us gather with friends to share a meal. We don’t always have to restrict ourselves of that pleasure if we are just more conscious of what can happen in such situations. Many of our eating behaviors are influenced and dictated by others (e.g., a friend who starts eating first or makes menu recommendations), consider the following:
- Consider sitting with the slowest eater in your group to consciously slow down how much you consume.
- Be aware of your group’s pacesetter – this is the individual who unknowingly set standards for what, how much, and how fast we eat (e.g., think of the person who always orders the bread, the extra chips, or recommends appetizers).
- The volume of food we eat is believed to be more influential on how much we eat than the actual caloric quantity of the food. Lower-density foods that occupy larger volumes (e.g., vegetables, 100% whole grains, lean protein) are more influential on controlling overall intake than higher-density foods (e.g., white bread, liquids). Devise a strategy to sequence your eating order (if possible) or the delivery of foods to your table. In other words, opt for foods that are filling versus empty-calorie foods and drinks.
- Be careful of liquid calories as they do empty from your stomach more quickly than solid foods and generally result in more calories being consumed.
