Check out my progress on Minding Your M&Ms
Earlier this week, I read an article discussing social snacking. Specifically, it described a series of experiments in which people’s portion sizes were measured relative to the perceived body weight of surrounding snackers. The results? Participants chowed down on the provided M&Ms when they were in the company of a thin confederate, while they moderated their intake when nibbling alongside an overweight person. Do you agree with these findings? How do you think you would behave in such a situation? It’s difficult to say how I might react to each snacking situation because 1) it’s likely a subconscious process and 2) M&Ms are so enticing–it would be a challenge to restrict my intake, regardless of who’s standing next to me!
Although I haven’t been noshing on M&Ms lately, I have been downing some pretty delicious grub. Check it out:
Wednesday
Another tropical smoothie, made incredibly delicious with the addition of coconut extract.
papaya-pineapple smoothie with hemp protein, coconut, & Pumpkin Flax granola
Thursday
I’ve been seeing “savory oats” on food blogs for months now, and I’ve always been tempted to try it. However, there I was inexplicably scared to try it. I mean, I eat enough wacky breakfasts that the novelty of the salty oatmeal shouldn’t scare me. Plus, oats are not all that different from grits, which are almost exclusively combined with items of the non-sweet persuasion. Anyway, thanks to some encouragement from Holly, I decided to give it a try this morning. The verdict? Friggin’, fraggin’ awesome.
savory oats cooked in chili flakes & light cheddar, topped with salsa, avocado, & more light cheddar; orange
note the pepper flake action
Lunchtime rolled around, and a very peculiar phenomenon occurred–I was not hungry at all. What? Who is this person, and what have they done with Caroline? Well, considering I wouldn’t be able to eat again until well after 4:00, I forced myself to eat half of the sandwich you see below, plus the fruits and veggies. Eating is so not fun when you’re not hungry. FYI That’s the leftover lentil loaf from Tuesday.
lentil loaf sandwich with organic ketchup; spinach with bell pepper & sunflower seeds; frozen grapes
Fortunately, my appetite returned this evening. Not only did I scarf down the other half of my sandwich, but I also made a big batch of Pumpkin Bulghur Chili from Totally Vegetarian–and it was totally satisfying;)
Pumpkin Bulghur Chili with kidney beans & pumpkin seed butter
I have some serious reading/obsessive highlighting to do. TGI(almost)F.
Filed under: Meals
Caroline Yoder, dietitian-to-be and all-around foodie.
That bulghur sounds too good for words.
Well, I don’t eat things with artificial colors and I’m not a big milk chocolate fan, but disregarding that I probably would have to agree with the findings. I think I’m much more aware of what I eat when I’m around people who have me thinking about their lack of physical fitness than I am with my running friends since we need the calories
yum yum yum!
do you have a recipe for that pumpkin chili?
delicious! xo
Hemp protein in your smoothie…I just tried some Vega hemp protein (although there were other things in there too) and it was so nast I dumped it. Blogged it today, but glossed over it, a bit. What kinda hemp do you use? Oh and I was at TJs and looked at those sesame stick things you had shown a few days ago…but they have gluten in them so I couldnt. Sigh.
I don’t know about social snacking, it might be true for some people, but not in my case (fortunately).
Savory oats looks delicious~~ Fall is coming=oats season begins!
Oooh, Southwestern oats sound tasty. I would be skeptical to try it too, since I love my regular sweet oats so much, but you are convincing me to give it a go sometime
Honestly, I would think it would be the other way around–eat more m&ms around thinner people. However, I think I would eat the same amount of m&ms regardless of who I’m with. Love them too much, hehe.
I’m still too scared to try savory oats. I tried avocado once and it was a disaster. Glad yours worked out!
I also tried a pumpkin chili recipe last winter and it was surprisingly good
Adding bulgur would take it to a whole new level. I’m gonna have to look that recipe up, it’s one of my fav grains!
Pumpkin bulgar chili?? That sounds so good! Anything with pumpkin gets an A+ in my book!
http://ajangel25.wordpress.com
Interesting article. I honestly don’t know if the body size of who I’m with would affect how much snacking I did. Now I’m intrigued though. I’m going to have to pay closer attention next time…
I adore savoury oats. Salsa and some kind of cheese always go into mine. Deeefreakinglicious.
I like eating. So I kind of hate when I’m not hungry but want to or need to eat! Geez body, can’t you cooperate with a schedule?
Have fun with the intense highlighting biznaz!
yay for savory oats! i am soooooo glad you enjoyed! i was totally skeptical at first, but the combo just works. i might need to add avocado to mine next time – good call.
that pumpkin bulgar chili also looks amazing – i never would have thought to pair those two together. but i am loving it!
i don’t know if i agree with the findings, but i do know social snacking is always a tough one for me. i don’t want to grab the peanut m&ms but i do!
interesting experiment…i would probably eat the m&ms regardless
pumpkin bulgur chili sounds delicious!!!
I’ve never had savory oats–too scared to try it!! What’s this weird appetite deal happening to us!?!? Something is in the air!
now I am just craving a runny sunny side up egg in my oatmeal… I wonder if I can sorta re-create that separately by myself by combining something at the grill and some oatmeal at the great hall… hahaha
I can tell you that when i snack (or eat for that matter) the people around me influence what i eat like whoa. I’m thinking, subconsiously, that a thin person says “Im thin and I snack, it’s gonna be ok” Whereas someone overweight triggers the “Snack and get fatter!” thinking. Makes me happy im a reese peicee man.
Are the savory oats really that good? I have half an avocado i NEED to use and i was thinking oats+mango and avocado pico. Thoughts?
That chili looks just great! xxx Julia (Taste of Living)
I think the M&Ms study came out the way it did because people inherently (whether consciously or subconsciously) linked the foodstuff with the appearance of the person eating it. If the person was thin, then it somehow validated the food choice and amount, resulting in thought patterns along the lines of ‘if a thin person’s eating it then it’s okay’ or ‘darn it, if they eat that much and stay thin then I can too/why shouldn’t I?’ If the person was overweight, then the food is inevitably linked to weight gain and an undesirable appearance, discouraging the subjects from eating it because they’d be thinking ‘I don’t want to end up like that so I’d better restrain myself.’
Just my two cents on the issue ; )
Have a great weekend!
REALLY interesting study. I’m sure so much of it is subconcious.
Love savory oats
Awesome at dinner time with lots of veggies, beans, and lots of hot hot sauce! Glad you gave it a go!
Pumpkin chili! I wish my husband liked pumpkin
I will have to try making a small invidiual batch
yum, i’m loving all the pumpkin in your eats! and you completely took savory oats to a whole new level with those toppings–looks delicious!! enjoy your weekend girl
I’ve only had savory oats a couple of times, but I should definitely give it another chance!
Love the lentil loaf-ketchup sandwich and the pumpkin chili… please please please, be my personal chef
Hi, I am new to the blog word and found your post. Yours smoothies look delicious! I am going to have to get the ingredients and make my own!
Also, I don’t know about the “social snacking” study. I have read that if you are surrounded by over weight people, or you “social group” is over weight then your chances of becoming over weight increase, which would mean that snacking would increase around larger people, the opposite of what this study says. I bet there are a lot of other external elements that influence these studies.
I love savory oats with an egg on top!
That pumpkin chili looks amazing…I’m going to have to find that recipe!
Glad you liked the savory oats!! They are genius aren’t they?! Hope your obsessive highlighting went well – I always pull out the multipack when I study as well
Interesting study! I think I am more affected by people’s eating habits than anything else- if nobody else is eating, I won’t. If they are, it’s kind of akward for me not to! I need to try savoury oats!
I had savory oats earlier this week – I didn’t think to add salsa to them – that sounds like a great idea!
Do you have a recipe for the lentil loaf? I looked around your blog and couldn’t find it.
well i cant eat candy at all so i wouldnt eat any m&ms! but interesting study none the less. love the chunks of cheese in those savory oats. happy friday caroline!
My husband and I can’t keep M&M’s in the house or we would eat them ALL in a day! And it’s not a social thing either for us. As for the study, I find it a little strange that someone would eat “less” around a heavier person. Wouldn’t you feel “more comfortable” eating more food next to a person who is heavier than you? I’ve read the book Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink and he gives many examples of how our environments affect our eating habits. Love your B&W dishes!
ow…. I’m loving that pumpkin chili idea!!! Chili is awesome… pumpkin is awesome…. you can’t go wrong if you combine them!!!
I read that same article about the M&Ms. I have no idea how I would react. I have a feeling I would eat more if they were peanut M&Ms (my fav). I can take or leave the plain ones. Meh.
-A
Thanks so much for sending me the Cashew Butter Tofu Recipe! I can’t wait to try it
I know from my own experience when I am in a large group of people with lots of food choices if everyone is eating I am more likely to eat with them. It kind of depends though because other times if I am trying to be really “good” seeing other people being “bad” will help motivate me to stay on my healthy track. If that makes sense.
That chili looks so amazing! And that yummy smoothie. I sort of want it all right now.
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