Why Distraction-Free Eating Should Be More of a Thing

Having dinner in front of the TV—or while holding a fork in one hand and your smartphone in the other—may seem harmless. But a small study out of the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom suggests thatwhen you watch TV or surf the web during snacks or meals, you’re likely to take in more calories—sometimes up to 100-percent more than you would have otherwise. In time, this can lead to sticky keyboards—and weight gain.

Why does multitasking while you eat lead to an increase in the amount you eat? Researchers have found that the more distractions you have during mealtime or when snacking, the less satisfaction you get from eating. Many distractions come in digital form, with TV, computers, and phones being the biggest culprits. But even more novel tasks such as multitasking during mealtime while reading a book or newspaper can have a strong influence on how much we consume.

Measuring out ahealthy portion sizeis important during all meals and snacks. But it’s especially so if you’re dining while distracted. Here’s why: If you’re busy focusing on something other than your food, it’s easy to miss the physical and visual cues that you’ve had enough to eat, saysJeff Brunstrom, PhD, a professor at the University of Bristol, who has studied the subject. If that internal warning alarm—which can be triggered by the feeling in your gut and your perception of how much you’ve had—doesn’t go off, you could possibly consume double what you initially intended.

Imagine that you grab a bag of chips and bring it with you to the couch. You may have meant to have only a few handfuls, but if your brain is busy trying to unravel the plot of a murder mystery it’s not going to signal to your body that it’s time to stop reaching for more. So you keep digging in, stopping only when you get the physical cue of your fingers hitting the very bottom of the bag. The mystery of what’s on TV may be solved, but you may never know exactly how much you ate during that sitting.