HHS HealthBeat (February 6, 2012)

Minding meals out

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

People eat lots of meals out – and when they eat out, they tend to eat lots.  So researcher Gayle Timmerman of the University of Texas at Austin has been looking at ways in which people can eat out without letting their calories get away from them.

She worked with 35 women ages 40 to 59 in a six-week program aimed at paying attention to ways to control eating, and cues that trigger eating: 

“In addition to the mindful eating, where people are slowing down and really appreciating the food, there’s also mindfulness-based meditations, where they’re really looking at more their body cues – their hunger and fullness cues.”  (12 seconds)

The study was aimed at preventing gains, but the women lost some weight.

The study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: February 7, 2012