By Janet Helm MS, RD We make about 200 daily food decisions.
Yet, many people are not fully focused on these choices, and
they’re unaware that lots of small things influence what they
eat – including plate size, package size, people around us, and
distractions, such as watching TV or working on the computer.
It’s what Cornell researcher Brian Wansink calls mindless
eating. It turns out, we don’t have our mind on a lot of the
choices we make throughout the day. A study conducted at Duke
University found that more than 40 percent of the actions people
perform each day aren’t actual decisions, but habits. The habits
we form impact so many parts of our lives, including what we put
in our mouths. That’s the subject of a fascinating book called
“The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do and How to Change It”
by Charles Duhigg. Before you can break a bad habit and create
more positive, health-promoting behaviors you need to understand
how habits work, according to Duhigg, who says habits emerge
because the brain is c