Eat Alone and You Eat Less

The old saying “He travels faster who travels alone” can easily be adapted to eating, according to a recent report in Physiology & Behavior. Thirty-seven volunteers (21 of them men) ate a buffet-style lunch under four different circumstances: alone, alone while watching TV, with two strangers, and with two friends. They were videoed while eating.

Eating alone took the least time, and resulted in the lowest calorie intake. When watching TV or eating with friends, the meal took longer and the subject ate more calories (plus 18% and 14%, respectively). Eating with strangers, however, led to a similar time/intake as eating alone.

The researchers doing the study conclude that conversing with friends or watching TV draws attention away from the eaten food and can stimulate food intake. They don’t give a good explanation for the ‘negative’ effect of eating with stranger – presumably there was no conversation . . .

Please don’t be tempted by this report to give up your enjoyable lunch dates. You can surely control your calorie intake by agreeing to forego desert in the interest of intelligent converse. There’s more help at “Diet Tips” and the FDA Healthy Heart site.