Howto nudge yourself into healthier eating andweight loss
Around 45 million of you are on a weight-loss diet right now — and have been more than once. That can be draining physically, emotionally and financially. Americans spend $33 billion a year on weight-loss products. Unfortunately, for all that effort, almost 66 percent of you are overweight or obese. But you can get around those challenges and succeed. Many people do!
To help you do it, we want to suggest a new approach to the difficulties associated with upgrading your nutrition so that you can lose excess weight. We know a lot of what we provide to you is info about what you should or shouldn’t eat, what kind of physical activity to get and how to fit it into your day. Rules, suggestions, pokes and prods. And don’t worry, we’re not going to stop. However …
A new French study in Marketing Science looked at the amazing power of subtle nudges — yes, nudges — to change eating behavior, and that got us thinking. Seems folks respond very positively to the unconscious power of convenience and are willing to upgrade the healthiness of their eating behaviors when doing so is simply the easiest option.
What kind of nudges work? They’re simple changes in how food options are presented to you and your family. They’re ones that you don’t really have to think about and that naturally nudge you toward making the smart choice. As one researcher said: “Putting fruit at eye level counts as a nudge; banning junk food does not.”
So we’ve taken the basic findings of the study and translated them into four simple nudges that can change your eating style, improve your nutrition and boost your weight-loss efforts.
1. Control portion size with new styles of plates and glasses.
• A 2014 study in the International Journal of Obesity found that plates with wide, colored rims make folks think there is more food on the plate than there is.
• Look for “MyPlate” plates (they’re available online), which divide the surface into sections that hold healthy-size portions of veggies, protein, fruit and grains. They’re not just for kids! And for more info on MyPlate check out choosemyplate.gov.
• Yes, large glasses make for healthy servings of water, but if you’re drinking fruit juices or other sweetened beverages, you want to limit your intake until you wean yourself off them (that is the goal). Get 4- ounce juice glasses.
2. Change how you arrange food in the fridge.
In this eat- on-the-run world, you want to make sure the food you grab to go is healthful. One study found that 70 percent of drivers eat while driving, and another survey done for Jenny Craig found that parents are so busy these days that they eat more than 150 meals a year standing up!
• Store ripe apples, oranges, plums and pears in the front at eye level.
• Wash and cut up melons and berries, and place in glass storage containers so you can see what’s ready to eat. Do that with carrots, celery and bell pepper strips, too.
• It’s easy to stash veggies in the big bins and forget them. Every day put a couple on a shelf so you’ll remember to eat/cook them.
3. Put good stuff out for snacking.
• Put walnut halves and almonds in a bowl next to grapes on the kitchen counter for a grab-and- go snack.
4. Let your family — even kids — serve themselves.
• The “nudge study” found that when folks dish up their own food they make smarter choices for themselves than you would. That confirms previous research showing that when you choose your own food your conscience tends to guide you to healthier choices.
We don’t want to be a nudge, but we hope these nudges help.
Protecting yourself from misdiagnosis
In 2017, the New Orleans Saints dismissed their team orthopedists because they diagnosed cornerback Delvin Breaux’s broken fibula as a bruise and made it look like the slow-to-rebound player was dogging it. What was actually required was surgery.
Misdiagnosis can happen to anyone — even high-profile athletes. According to a new report in the journal Diagnosis, an estimated 100,000 Americans are permanently disabled or die every year because of a medical diagnosis that initially overlooks their condition altogether, or is wrong or delayed. The “big three” misses, say the researchers, are vascular events (stroke is No. 1 in that category), infections (No. 1 is sepsis) and cancers (No. 1 is lung cancer), which account for 75 percent of malpractice insurance claims.
Scary stuff, but you can do a lot to protect yourself. Remember, those numbers are out of 131 million visits to the emergency room and more than 35 million hospital admissions annually.
First, get a second opinion. Quality physicians welcome that. In an ER, after a diagnosis, get your regular doctor involved.
Second, listen to your gut, or your loved one’s gut. If you or your loved one feels something more is going on, or are unsettled by what you’ve been told, ask questions and demand answers.
Third, don’t be foolishly tough. Do you think you should be able to tough out anything life throws your way? Nope! Let doctors know everything you’re feeling and dealing with, all supplements and over-thecounter products you’re taking and your medical history.
A little chutzpah on your part and shared knowledge helps avoid misdiagnosis.