Why We Eat More Than What We Think: Mindless Eating (Reading response + details)

Brian Wansink, Why We Eat More Than We Think: Mindless Eating

1/7: 10 min., 1/8: 10 min., 1/9: 60 min., 1/10: 70 min. (pg. 1-126)

The Norton Field Guide to Writing:

1/8: 10 min.  (pg. 389-395)

Total time: 160 min.

I don’t really know why I chose to read this book. It was just due to the fact that I didn’t have an idea of what type of book I wanted to dip into. Plus, I wanted to know the effects of the Americans’ mindless eating habits (which include myself as well.) One of my resolutions for this year is to abstain from constantly grazing on junk food, but I also will leave an occasional cheat day just for my sanity. It is so extremely challenging to leave behind the warm chocolate molten lava cake with caramel glazed over topped with pecans and vanilla ice cream.  Try to admit how difficult that is! Sigh… that’s what I had last night… and I finished the whole thing.

Why We Eat More Than We Think: Mindless Eating informs its’ readers about the daily eating lifestyles of Americans. I never realized how much we eat in one day! I’ve taken from the book that it’s not necessary to eat when you are not hungry. That makes sense. Why should we eat if we’re not hungry? We sometimes just eat because we’re bored and have nothing better to do. This is one of the factors of the increasing obesity rates in America. When we are hungry, we have cravings for a certain food. That’s enables us to acknowledge that we’re hungry. When we crave a specific food, and not what you have in sight, this means that you just crave it or your body has too scarce of it and needs it, but you are not hungry. Also, I learned that the less sweets you eat, the less you crave it. I will attempt to try this out. Let’s hope it’s true!