Are memory lapses making you eat more?
We all forget things now and again but when it comes to eating too much, it’s time to retrain your brain, says Dr JASON MICHAEL THOMAS
television while they ate and half of them didn’t.
When they were given a snack of cookies later on, those who had been distracted by television rated their memory of their lunch as being less vivid than those who hadn’t watched television, and ate about 17 per cent more cookies.
So a weaker memory of lunch meant they consumed a lot more calories when they snacked.
HOW TO BOOST YOUR MEMORY
If you have a perfect memory, you’re probably quite happy right now. However, if like me, keeping things in your memory is like keeping water in a bucket full of holes, this news is probably less welcome.
Yet don’t worry, as I’m about to throw you a lifeline. We know paying more attention to our meals enhances our memories of eating them and can lead us to eat less later on.
In a subsequent study, people were again given a lunch but this time were asked either to focus carefully on their food as they ate it, or to read a newspaper article about food while they ate – or not to do anything except eat.
When they were later given access to a snack of cookies, those who had focused on their meal while eating consumed the fewest cookies compared with both other groups (about 50 per cent less). They also had the most vivid memories of lunch.
TUNE IN TO YOUR MEALS
If you want to be in the driving seat, you need to pay attention to your meals as you eat. You could even take a picture of your meal before you start to remind yourself of what you ate. This will help you to form a stronger memory which can influence how much you eat later on. This won’t necessarily keep you away from the biscuits but perhaps you’ll eat fewer from now on. As a general tip, try to ensure that when you do eat you’re able to pay attention to your food. Avoid eating while at a computer, using your phone or watching television. Start today while this advice is fresh in your memory.