Chapter 3- Surveying the Tablescape
In this chapter, we are introduced to the concept of a "tablescape"- that is, the placement of dishes, glasses, silverware, and serving bowls on the table- and how it affects our eating. Dr. Wansink talks about the powerful visual illusions that exist on the table, mainly the size of the container (i.e., the plate, serving bowl, or glass) and the number of containers. The book cites several studies that show the larger the container, the more people will eat. So whether it's a box of pasta, a jar of sauce, a bowl of Chex Mix, or a bag of M&M's people eat more based on the size of the container. So, to keep your meal sizes down, the suggestion is to use smaller plates and serving bowls, and fewer of them. Have you ever paid attention to your own tablescape? How does it affect the amount you and your family eat?
The other studies show how the variety of food will increase people's consumption. People presented with 10 colors of M&M's ate more than those given 7 colors, even though they all taste the same. The suggestion here is to limit the number of choices at a meal- and beware of grazing around buffets and leftovers, where the sheer variety of choices can push you to eat more.
I didn't quite understand the results of the last study they mentioned- the party with multiple snack bowls. One group was presented 3 large snack bowls while the other group was given 12 smaller ones. Both groups received the same amount of food and the same types of snacks. The party-goers with 12 bowls ate more, because of the perception of variety. But wouldn't you think the larger bowls would also be a factor? Is variety a MORE powerful influence than container size in that case?
Chapter 4- The Hidden Persuaders Around Us
This chapter discusses two of my personal weaknesses, the "see food" diet, as well as the "convenience factor". The premise here is that the mere act of seeing food, in real life, on TV, in a magazine, or even visualizing it in your mind increases your likelihood of eating it, especially if it's convenient to us. The mere act of placing a candy dish 6 feet away from test subject's desks deterred them from eating it. This chapter also talks about Warehouse Club shopping and how buying in bulk can really increase your consumption, especially if you "see" all the stuff you have in your cupboards, not to mention the huge containers.
I can’t believe the findings that families tended to eat TWICE as much the week after they shopped at a Wholesale Club vs. the second or third week. I have to admit that, yes I tend to eat more right after I have done some major grocery shopping. But it seems the reason for this is the amount and the number of choices of the food in my freshly stocked kitchen- I had never thought of it that way. To combat the temptation to overeat after Wholesale club shopping, Dr. Wansink suggests repackaging your bulk food items into smaller containers, and hiding some of your "stash" to make it less convenient to access. So I ask the Wholesale Club fans out there, do you think those techniques would work for you? Do you think you and your family tend to eat more when there's more food and more choices in your kitchen?
Next week, we'll review Chapters 1-4 again to give some of you a chance to catch up. Happy reading!
Dell- a Lumen
