Think your willpower is strong? It's nothing against the tricks supermarkets and restaurants use to get you to eat more. With 1,000-calorie burgers and salads, value packaging and supersizing, you have to tread carefully to avoid an oversized waistline. Learn how to outsmart 15 food traps.
“We eat about 30%-35% more than we actually think we do,” says Brian Wansink, Ph.D., author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think (Bantam).
Sitting in front of the TV with a bag of chips is diet sabotage - but that’s a trap you set yourself.
Others are set by supermarkets, food manufacturers and restaurants. Are they trying to make us fat and unhealthy? Not necessarily. But they are trying to get us to buy and tempting our inner binge eater does the trick.
“It doesn’t matter if the promotion is focused on nutritional value, fantastic taste or ease of preparation,” says registered dietitian Lynn Grieger, a health and fitness coach in Vermont. “The end result is the same.”
So what’s a smart dieter to do? Learn where these calorie landmines are – and how to avoid them.
Supermarket Traps
Your shopping list is full of fruits and veggies, but somehow junk food lands into your cart. Here’s why:
1. They eye it, you buy it.
Moms are familiar with this scenario: You’re eyeing a whole-grain, low-sugar cereal, but your kids see sugary processed cereals with cartoon characters.
It’s no accident – markets put them on a lower shelf on purpose, right at kids’ eye level. And once your child spots them, it’s hard to hold firm against the begging.
Outsmart ‘em: If shopping solo isn’t an option, use this as a teachable moment. Explain why you want them to choose something nutritious: to help them grow taller and run faster, for example.
Then jointly decide how often they should be allowed to eat the less nutritious cereal: Should it be once a week, month or another time period? Just be sure to alternate it with a healthier choice.
2. You have to see it.
Ever notice that cookies and snack cakes are right next to bread? Or that to get to granola bars, you have to walk by candy or chips?
It’s smart business for supermarkets to place tasty but unnecessary items like Twinkies near your usual purchases of bread and oatmeal. It’s harder to say no when they’re in your face.
Outsmart ‘em: Carry a small notebook and jot down each junk food item and its price as you put it in your cart. Before you check out, review your list and decide if those items are worth the money and calories.
But it’s unreasonable to ban all treats. Give in – just a little. Set a limit – say 5% – of your grocery budget for junk food and promise not to exceed that.
3. End-aisle bargains may not be.
“Anything on an end aisle increases sales 25%-30%, even if it’s not on sale,” Wansink says. “On sale, it goes up even higher.”
What’s usually there? Soda, chips, frozen pizzas and other unhealthy foods.
Outsmart ‘em: Don’t be fooled by big promotional signs. To find out if it’s truly a bargain, locate the product on its usual shelf. Chances are the item isn’t even on sale.
If you still want it, finish your other shopping before you make a final decision.
4. Coupon cons add calories.
Why do coupons for processed foods seem to be more common than those for healthy stuff?
Perhaps because processed foods outnumber wholesome ones. Or maybe they’re more profitable. Or market executives know that people love a bargain and it’s easier to justify buying junk food if we’re getting it for less.
Whatever the reason, you and your waistline are the only losers.
Outsmart ‘em: Make a shopping list before you start clipping. If you can’t resist in-store coupons, put all impulse buys in the shopping cart’s child seat. Before paying, pick up each item and decide if you should put it back.
Weigh the cost, fats, sodium and calories. Also, consider the nutritious food – or meal out – you won’t get if you buy this instead.
Remember, keep unhealthy foods to just 5% of your total grocery budget.
5. You’re touring the market.
Even if you only need milk or eggs, you have to walk through most of the store to get it. Staple items are usually placed far from the entrance to make you pass dozens of enticing foods.
Outsmart ‘em: Use a shopping basket, not a cart. It has a built-in limit for impulse buys.
Another option: Walk only the store’s perimeter, where you’re more likely to see beautiful, in-season fruits and veggies or other natural foods, not salty chips.
6. Diet food lures you in.
Those fat-free cookies aren’t a calorie bargain if you eat an entire row instead of the recommended serving size. And that’s often what happens, Wansink says.
Claims like “reduces the risk of heart disease” or “high in calcium” trick us into believing the food is much better for us – and lower in calories – than it really is.
In one of Wansink’s studies, participants underestimated the calories and overestimated the serving sizes of candies and granola labeled “low fat,” compared to identical foods without the wording.
In a separate study, people given “Low-Fat Rocky Mountain Granola” ate 50% more than those given the same product marked “Regular Rocky Mountain Granola.”
Outsmart ‘em: Beware of food packaging that proclaims the incredible health benefits of the food inside. Compare the nutrition labels of the “special” product to the regular version. Look at calories, fats and more.
Think of it this way: The package front has the sales pitch, but the back is the fine print on your contract. Pick the one that’s healthier and stick to the serving size.
7. The enticing aroma of calories.
Walk in and smell the cinnamon rolls. Now try not to buy.
“The irresistible aroma of food entices us to pick up [items] that aren’t on our shopping list,” Grieger says.
In some cases, that delicious smell is there just to encourage us to pull out our wallets. Home-sellers use the same trick to make their house seem homey. The smell of fresh-baked cookies or bread can instantly trigger good feelings.
Outsmart ‘em: Short of shopping only when you have a cold, you’ll just have to stay strong.
Recognize the tempting scents wafting by and just stick to your shopping list, Grieger says.
Sometimes it helps to delay the reward, not resist it. For example, buy that bakery treat - but only at the end of the month.
8. You’re suckered into silly serving sizes.
Most of us think that one muffin is a single serving and that vending machine snacks aren’t for sharing. Don’t be duped.
Some large muffins and bagels are two servings; bottled drinks can be two or more servings; and vending machine snacks frequently list 2.5 servings per package.
Outsmart ‘em: Check the nutrition facts on everything before you buy (or at least before you eat them). Repackage food in healthy serving sizes: Fill small baggies with one-ounce portions of pretzels, crackers or chips and put them back into the original packaging.
Restaurant Traps
If you’re not careful, a single meal out can cost you a day’s worth of calories and fat. Beware these belt-busting traps:
9. Value menus
Fast food and other restaurants aren’t trying to make you fat, but they are trying to win you over, Wansink says.
In this bargain-minded society, it’s smart business to increase the perceived value of food. That’s why a “value” large fries may cost the same – or less – than a smaller size.
Outsmart ‘em: If you buy large fries, you’ll eat them. So spend the extra pennies on the small order — it’s an investment in your health. Or split that large with a friend, but portion them out before you chow down.
10. Calorie-laden sides
Too often, your entrée comes with fries or gravy-loaded mashed potatoes. If you ask for a salad instead, it’ll cost you extra.
Outsmart ‘em: Ask the restaurant how they can help you avoid the calories, suggests Jo Lichten, author of Dining Lean – How to Eat Healthy When You’re Not at Home (Nutrifit Publishing).
That side salad may cost extra, but other veggies may not. Lichten usually asks for a sliced tomato instead of fries for no extra cost.
“Tomatoes are not only low in calories, but high in antioxidants and lycopene,” she adds.
11. Bigger plates
To the average person, a hamburger on a normal size plate appears to have 18% fewer calories than the same burger on a saucer, Wansink says.
“Everybody I’ve ever met thinks they’re too smart to be fooled by the plate size,” he says.
Outsmart ‘em: Look at your food, not the plate, before you take that first bite. Set aside any meat larger than a deck of cards and any starch bigger than your fist. (Save the leftovers for later.) Eat no more than the amount you haven’t pushed aside.
Be careful at home too. Trade in your large dishes for smaller ones and eat your dinner on salad plates.
12. Daily specials
Today’s bargain meal includes fried fish, French fries and dessert. There’s a reason salads aren’t usually in the bargain: With a higher cost and perishability, it doesn’t make sense or cents for restaurants.
And high-calorie meal bargains sell well.
Outsmart ‘em: Not every dinner out is a celebration, so don’t treat it like a calorie free-for-all. Instead, enjoy it as a meal that you don’t have to prepare or clean up. And that is special, even if you’re eating grilled fish.
13. Fancy menu language
When it comes to food, we’re vocabulary suckers. Descriptions have “a dramatic influence on our very suggestible taste buds,” Wansink says.
Even if chocolate pie and homemade Belgian chocolate torte are the same day-old dessert, we prefer the latter because its name evokes positive memories or associations, he says.
Likewise, “Traditional Cajun Red Beans and Rice” is more popular than the identical “Red Beans and Rice” and “Tender Grilled Chicken” will get more orders than “Grilled Chicken.”
Outsmart ‘em: Before ordering, select what appears to be the healthiest two or three offerings and ask your server to describe each. Be realistic. “Dairy fresh cream” may sound natural and wholesome, but it’s no few calories than “cream.”
14. Seeing is ordering
Even with a full belly and the best intentions to stick to your diet, seeing the dessert menu or tray weakens your resolve.
Restaurateurs know this, so wait staff are trained to bring them by without you asking.
Outsmart ‘em: Ask your server to bring your check as soon as you have your meal.
15. Freebies
Free food is one of life's greatest temptations. It’s hard to say no when your pizza comes with free soda, a basket of garlic rolls or fried cinnamon sticks.
Again, these are cheaper add-ons than salad. No matter: The customer feels good that they got a bargain.
Outsmart ‘em: There’s no such thing as free.
“It’s either waste or waist,” Lichten says. “Would you rather see the calories [on you] or in the trash?”
Bottom line: Many forces push us to eat poorly. Always eat mindfully and choose foods carefully.
Fast Food Facts: What’s Your Menu IQ?
Dining out is supposed to be fun. But many of us gorge like it's the last supper. But you don't have to stay home to avoid high-calorie meals. You just have to learn how to make better choices.
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