Distracted eaters eat more

2 mins to read

Eating in front of the television or computer could impact on your ability to lose weight. Online personal trainer Andrew Cate looks into the latest research on distracted eating.

Everyday health

What is distracted eating?
Consuming meals, snacks or drinks while engaged in other activities is known is distracted eating (also mindless eating).

Eating while doing other things might seem like a good exercise in time management, but it can undermine your intentions to eat well. The body regulates hunger and fullness through a complex interaction of physical and sensory signals.

People who eat when distracted may consume more kilojoules, as they are less aware of what and how much they are consuming. The tendency to limit food intake to control body weight can be offset by a distraction.

It may also change the way you eat by increasing your eating speed, number of bites, bite size and meal duration while reducing the interval between meals.

Examples of activities people may engage in while eating include:

Watching television
Sitting in front of the computer
Talking or texting on the phone
Talking face to face with friends
Driving
Reading
Playing games on a phone, console or electronic device
Listening to music or talkback radio

The research
A recent study published in the online journal PLoS ONE (the Public Library of Science) examined the impact of distracted eating on kilojoule intake. Study subjects were served soup as they watched a 15 minute film and were instructed to answer questions afterwards. Distraction led to greater intake of food ranging from 5–11%, which was noted as a similar amount to a number of previous studies.

The researchers found, that increased food intake in a distracted state, was primarily due to longer meal duration, which provided more opportunity to eat. It was also suggested that sensory exposure to food is less when distracted, and this can impact upon weight control, because sensory exposure is important for the termination of eating.

How to minimise the impact of distracted eating
These tips may help to reduce the impact of distracted eating on your body shape:

Eliminate distractions while eating - If your goal is to lose body fat, avoid eating during activities such as watching television or sitting in front of the computer. Being mentally present while eating allows you to savour each mouthful and increase the awareness of how much you are eating.
Keep a food diary - A food diary can help to increase the awareness of how much food and drink you consume. The accountability of recording everything you eat, be it on paper or electronically, may help to reduce distracted eating.
Use small bowls, utensils and glasses - Any food or drink portion will look larger on a small plate or glass. You may serve yourself less, and feel more satisfied afterwards. It also forces you to actively get up for additional servings, which will increase your awareness of how much you are having. In the study mentioned above, reducing sip or bite sizes during a meal may help those trying to lower their kilojoule intake, even if they are eating while distracted.
Be portion aware - If you can't avoid distracted eating, such as eating out with friends, be conscious of choosing small portions. Distracted eating will only cause you to eat more if you have access to more.