Slow Your Roll!

            A recent study from the University of Surrey in the UK suggests that walking may be a cue for overeating just as television, laptops and other forms of screen time are. I’m sure you’re familiar with the tidbit of information that watching television while eating is linked with overeating. Now it makes sense why my mother called our television an “idiotbox.” Interestingly enough, walking triggered much more overeating than television did.

            In the study, 60 female students ate a cereal bar while doing one of three things: walking a hallway, watching television, or talking with a friend. After eating the cereal bar, the participants were then told to take part in an unsupervised taste test. During the taste test, bowls of grapes, carrots and chocolate were left on the table, and the participants were told to eat “as much as they’d like.” The researchers found that those previously walking and eating the cereal bar consumed more snacks in general and around five times more chocolate than other participants.

            The researchers suggest trying to avoid distractions while eating, and to take your lunch break away from the desk at work. They go on to say that eating away from the desk causes workers to feel more full and less likely to snack later on. The key point to take away is the importance of giving our meals attention and to always be mindful and conscious of what, and how much, we are consuming in any setting.

See the full article at: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/298300.php