With the festive season upon us, most holiday-goers will be faced with breakfast buffets, seafood buffets, and Christmas buffets! When faced with a buffet FULL of different foods, it’s hard NOT to overeat (even for the most nutrition-conscious person).
Scientists have recently discovered how we might overcome this (click here for study link). They have found that the order you put food on your plate can influence the likelihood of what other foods you’ll follow up with.
The study was conducted at a conference, where two seven-item breakfast buffet tables, both with identical foods on them, were placed in a dining area. Unbeknownst to the conference goers (sll 124 of them), they were being carefully observed. The food items on the tables were arranged in opposite order:
Table 1 Order – cheesy eggs, fried potatoes, bacon, cinnamon rolls, low-fat muesli, low-fat yoghurt, fruit.
Table 2 Order – fruit, low-fat yoghurt, low-fat muesli, cinnamon rolls, bacon, fried potatoes, cheesy eggs.
Not surprisingly, the first item seen on each table was the most likely to be chosen. When fruit was the first item on the table, 86% of attendees took it, while on 29% chose cheese eggs (the last item on that table). When cheesy eggs were the first item, 75% of diners loaded up, while just 55% of them chose fruit.
Overall, two-thirds of a person’s plate was FILLED by one of more of the first three items! Even more interesting, was that when the less healthy items were presented first, diners took 31% more total food items. So basically, they ate MORE when they started the buffet with less healthy options, and ate more of the following less healthy options (i.e. cheesy eggs, bacon and potatoes).
Bottom Line…
Load up your plate with the healthy options first. This means you’ll not only have less room for the unhealthy options, but you’ll be subconsciously influencing what foods you choose after.
Until next time,
Stacey.
