Quantity Quandary

You would think that someone drinking a diet soda would tend to watch his or her weight and eat light. Unfortunately, many people drink diet sodas while consuming amounts of high calorie food. What is it about certain situations that trick people into eating more than necessary? Its something that food companies count on, that American desire to eat big portions. Take for example those foods labeled “light,” “low calorie” or “healthy.” You go through that package faster than a “normal” package of food and then you have to buy another one sooner, right?

Studies have repeatedly shown that people tend to eat larger quantities of foods they perceive to be healthy and/or low in calories than those without a similar label. This, in fact, could lead to someone having two bowls of “light” ice cream instead of one small bowl of regular ice cream or a half dozen “low fat” cookies instead of three regular ones. When you look at total calories, a large quantity of any item, healthy or not, is likely to tip the scales in the wrong direction. This is NOT healthy for you.

Make it your goal to not fall prey to that voice in your head saying “its healthy so go ahead and have as much as you want.” Send the food company executives running into the boardrooms, scratching their heads and wondering why people are taking so long to get back to the store.

Limit your consumption of any food item to one serving, rather than allowing yourself a carte blanche to eat as much as you want just because the food is supposed to be healthy. Then it will be your wallet, not your waistline that will be expanding.