A recently published research paper by the Birmingham team in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that zeroed in on attentive eating, claimed that paying attention to what one eats helps in developing control over one’s appetite.

A lot of people are on a chocolate shopping spree now, considering we are nearing Easter. To some, chocolate is a mere indulgence, but an enjoyable one. To others, it’s a root of guilt over cheating on diet.

Dr. Suzanne Higgs, from the School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham, said, "People make many decisions every day about what foods to eat and how much to eat. These decisions are made easily and seemingly without much thought. Yet underlying these choices are sophisticated psychological processes that can be easily disrupted, especially if we are distracted by other demands. So it is perhaps no surprise that we sometimes eat more than intended."

"We reviewed the results of 24 tightly controlled studies in which people were either attentive to the food they ate or were distracted. When people were distracted away from their meals by watching TV or playing computer games they tended to eat more at that meal than people who were not distracted. But there was a double whammy because distraction at a meal also resulted in more calories being consumed at later snacking sessions. My advice would be to make time for eating and avoid eating on the go this Easter - this might make meals that bit more enjoyable and could help avoid overindulgence."

It only shows how distraction in the eating pattern can make a person forget his food intake earlier in the day. Distracted eating could boost appetite later in the day by means of messing up the food memories, which typically inhibit later appetite.

On the other hand, when you pay attention to the texture, as well as the flavor, of the food that you eat, you tend to avoid later snacking. By remembering your latest food intake, you get to lessen the chance of snacking by up to 10%. That's pretty amazing.

You can do attentive eating by means of steering clear of any tasks while you eat. By doing so, you get to think about what you last ate, hence you will be more watchful with your calorie intake and avoid overeating.

So the key to avoid eating too much this Easter is to get great chocolate.  Then eat it slowly and intentionally, enjoying every bite!

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Joanna Maligaya

Staff Writer/Content Developer at Chocolate University Online

Ever since she can remember, Joanna has always considered chocolate as the ultimate food for her soul. She believes in the saying, “9 out of 10 people love chocolate, and the 10th always lies.”

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