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Why you shouldn't eat on the run

New research has revealed the worst activity to mix with snacking. Photo: Getty


We’re all guilty of eating at our desks, in the car, or in front of the latest episode of X Factor.

But new research published in the Journal of Health Psychology has revealed the worst way activity to do while snacking: walking.

Turns out, eating on the run can lead you to consume five times more that watching TV, or sitting and talking to a friend. During the study, researchers from the University of Surrey in England looked at three groups of women to test types of distracted eating.

One group sat and ate a cereal bar while watching a 5-minute clip of Friends, one group at the cereal bar while walking and the third group ate the snack while sitting opposite a friend and talking.

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After the experiment, each group completed a questionnaire and were asked to taste-test chocolate, carrot sticks, grapes and potato chips. The women who had been asked to eat while walking consumed five times more chocolate than the other groups (another reason to stash your desk drawer with almonds, not Kit Kats).

So how does distracted eating contribute to weight gain? “People tend to overeat because they’re not focused on what they’re eating,” says Kellee Waters, a food addiction and obesity psychologist.

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Plus, the study authors believe that because walking is a form of exercise, it may lead to an excuse to eat more later.

Looking to have a less-distracted lunch? Try sitting down for each meal, focusing on each bite while you chew. And eat every three to four hours: “Most of the time when we’re hungry we’ve gone hours without food,” Waters told Prevention. “If you’re eating regularly, you won’t go into that hunger zone, so there’s less need to eat mindlessly.”


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