Some research shows that the way your home is organized can influence your eating habits . But why does this happen?
According to Brian Wansink, director of the “Cornell Food and Brand Lab” at Cornell University and author of the book “Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions”, says that our houses can be designed to keep you healthy and slim or to make you fat and become a little sedentary.
To find out if your home is influencing your body weight, we present 7 reasons why the home where you live can unconsciously contribute to your weight gain, and how to solve this situation.
7 reasons why your home can make you fat
1. Having too comfortable chairs in the kitchen
The kitchen is the center of most houses. It is where we meet with friends, review our bills, read our favorite magazines and even where we help our children with homework. According to Wansink, it is the place where we spend the most time throughout the day and the more time you spend in the kitchen, the more likely you are to ingest food.
For this reason, we recommend that you change the chairs for slightly less comfortable ones, to help keep you out of the kitchen. Wansink notes that when people sit in chairs without pads, they spend an average of 18 minutes less in the kitchen than those who sit on fluffy cushions.
2. Have lights without dimmer or dimmer
Bright lights activate your mood and make you want to overeat. A study conducted by Psychological Reports , mentions that people who dine in a room with a lot of light eat 18 percent more than those who eat in the same room but with less lighting.
Researchers believe that this may be because dark environments keep you calmer , which makes you eat more slowly and your body assimilate food better, giving you the feeling of fullness to eat only what you need.
Christopher Ochner, an expert in weight loss at the “Mount Sinai” hospital in New York, recommends relaxing the environment where you eat (preferably at the table) and avoiding eating on the couch , in your room and in front of the television, since this tactic It can be counterproductive in avoiding extra calories.
3. Have the house very messy
According to Coral Arvon, Ph.D., Director of Behavioral Health and Wellness at the Pritikin Longevity Center, the most appropriate way to keep your home conducive to healthy eating is by reducing clutter – this includes everything from the closet to the bathroom.
A study by the University of Minnesota looked at two groups: one was in a messy room and one was in a tidy room. Members of both groups were offered a snack. The result was that 67% of the participants in the tidy room chose an apple, while 80% of the other room chose chocolate.
Studies show that people who are able to maintain and lose weight are those who tend to keep their home clean and clutter-free. According to Arvon, a clutter-free home encourages clearer thoughts and better decisions.
4. Have your walls red
According to Christopher, the color red triggers chemicals in the brain that promote hunger.
In an experiment carried out by Contract Magazine , a group of people attending a gala were classified into different rooms: one blue and one red with yellow. People who ate food in the blue room ate 33 percent fewer calories than those who ate in the yellow and red room.
That is why it follows that if you have a red wall in your house, especially in the kitchen, we recommend painting it blue or green, which promote relaxation.
5. Have huge plates
The bigger your plates, the bigger your appetite. Research from Cornell University shows that the size of your bowls and plates serves as an unconscious guide to how much you should eat.
For example, when Chinese diners came to the buffet table with large plates, they served 52 percent more food and ate 45 percent more food than those using smaller plates.
Brian Wansink recommends getting rid of any plate that is larger than 12 inches . Even if you put the same amount of food on a 9-inch plate as you would on a 30-inch plate, the 22-inch plate will look fuller, leaving you feeling more satisfied with your meal.
6. Constantly watch cooking shows
According to a study conducted by the University of Vermont in 2015, as women who receive their cooking recipes through television programs show a higher body mass index and weigh an average of 4.5 kilos more than those who obtain your recipes from family, friends, magazines or cooking classes.
Researchers believe it is because many of the recipes shown on television are less healthy and often show foods being served in large portions.
On the other hand, that the desserts displayed are generally unhealthy, and their tantalizing appearance makes people crave them.
The solution is, if you like to watch cooking shows, stick with the ones that emphasize healthy ingredients.
7. Have the television close to where you eat
Watching television or interacting with technology through your Smartphone or tablet at mealtime can contribute to mindless eating and a feeling of being dissatisfied with food, which can induce you to overeat .
A 2013 publication in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that multitasking during mealtime, whether it’s watching TV or working on your computer, increases food intake .
Willow Jarosh, a dietitian at C&J Nutrition in New York and a spokesperson for Crisp Tools, suggests that you remove televisions from your kitchen, dining room, or wherever your family normally eats.
