Pitfalls to avoid

Food portions
One cause of being overweight lies in failing to estimate the size of our portions or how much food we eat over the course of a day. Generally speaking, we subconsciously under-estimate the amount of food we eat by 15 to 25 %, hence the benefit, when trying to rebalance our diet, of noting and weighing everything we eat in order to realise this and then eat the right amounts of food. In effect, without certain guidelines for evaluating the size of a portion of food, we tend to eat everything on our plate without really asking ourselves whether or not we are actually full. One easy tip for eating less is to use smaller plates and serving dishes than the larger ones that have now become the norm both at home and in restaurants. Several examples are provided by the food psychologist Brian Wansink in his very instructive book Mindless Eating

“Low” or “healthy” foods
These foods occupy an increasingly large space on supermarket shelves and while their existence may seem commendable, their consumption does not always have the desired effect. Several studies, again led by teams working with the food psychologist Brian Wansink, show that consuming a “low” product (either in sugar or fat) automatically triggers a reward or compensation reaction. For example, eating a low fat processed meal results in us following it up with a double portion of cheese. Similarly, a generous sprinkling of sugar will accompany a fat-free yoghurt and a large fresh salad for lunch is often rewarded by a sizeable dessert. The outcome of this compensation game is not necessarily in favour of a balanced diet, as it often provides more fat and more sugar.