by Stephanie 
It’s something that you probably do at least three times
a day – eat! While we eat on a regular basis, have you
ever really stopped to think about how you know when to
stop eating? Are you really full when you stop? Or do you
stop because you’re in a rush, because your friends are
done? A study was recently conducted at the Cornell Food
Lab that compared eating habits among Americans and the
French. I found the results shocking, and I think you will
too.
Although most people assume that they stop eating when
they’re full, this isn’t always the case – especially in
America. The study compared 133 participants from Paris
and 145 participants from Chicago, and both groups were
asked how they know when they’re done with their food. The
Parisians said they were done when they no longer felt
hungry or when the food no longer tasted good, whereas the
Americans said they were finished eating when they cleared
their plate, when everyone else at the table was done, or
when the TV show that they were watching was over.
The answers given by both groups suggest that the
Parisians respond to internal cues, whereas the Americans
respond to external ones. The Parisians listened to their
own body and mind while eating – they based their decision
on how they liked the food, or whether or not they wanted
to leave room for dessert. The Americans, however, were
found to be more influenced by their environment than how
they actually felt on the inside. These are scary results,
especially when Americans seem to not have any control
over what or how much they eat!
On average, the French participants had a lower body mass
index than the Americans (20.7 compared to 23.6). These
people were of a similar demographics and while both
groups were of “normal weight,” the skinner participants
were the ones who responded to internal cues, whereas the
heavier participants were the ones who listened to
external cues. On a whole, however, the American
participants tended to be heavier than the French ones.
The author of the article suggests that if you tend to
respond to external cues while eating, you should try to
use a smaller plate, don’t go back for seconds, and don’t
eat while watching television. The simplest way to avoid
overeating, however, is to really listen to your body and
stop eating when you’re full, rather than when your plate
is empty.
Reading this article reminded me of my cousin, and how my
aunt and uncle always stressed to her the importance of
finishing everything that was on her plate. Many of us
have probably heard something similar before, like “you
can’t have dessert until you finish all of your dinner” or
“there are starving children in parts of the world, so
make sure you finish all of your food.” I really think
that these remarks by my aunt and uncle have led my cousin
to be overweight. Forcing a child to finish all of their
food, and then allowing them to have dessert (when they’re
probably already full from dinner) is not a good habit to
get into. Children should not be rewarded for finishing
their meals with even more food. This is the reason why so
many Americans, especially children, are overweight and
obese.
Thinking about my own eating habits, I realized that many
times I will keep eating if other people are still eating
as well. In the school cafeteria, for example, I may have
finished my plate of food but if other people are not done
yet, I might be tempted to go get something else. I think
reading this article will help me to focus on myself and
if I’m still hungry, and not base my decision on my
friends or on what time it is.
Nowadays people are trying so hard to exercise and lose
weight, but do they ever stop to think about how much they
eat and why they do the things they do? Americans should
try to eat smaller portions, eat slower and really try
hard to focus on themselves. People are extremely
influenced by other people, even to the point where it is
unhealthy. Americans should learn to stop eating when they
are full, not when the people around them are done.
Parents should also teach their children these practices
at an early age, before overeating becomes a serious issue
later in their life.
So, what do you think? Do you think this could be an
explanation as to why Americans are so heavy? Do you think
controlling portions, along with exercise, could reduce
the weight of Americans? What do you respond to when
eating, internal or external cues?
For more information on this study, check out the website:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23449358/
