Say No to the All You Can Eat Buffet

They call it the French Paradox Redux or why Americans seem to get fatter than French people do. It seems that it's not about lifestyle so much as perception and thinking patterns. In other words, when they feel hungry they stop eating. Simple, right? It reminds me of why moms should breastfeed their babies. Breastfed babies tend to stop nursing when they are full and not when the bottle is finished.

At any rate, Americans are forever eating low fat this and diet that when French foods like pate, brie, and croissants are way(!!!) more laden with fat. According to a study at Cornell University that compared Parisians to Chicagoans, the latter were less likely to stop eating until there was no food left on the plate, their beverage is finished, or the TV show is over. In other words, this sample population of Americans is relying on external cues to signal when to finish their meals. This same use of external clues also applies to the overweight among us.

Of course the Supersize Me and All You Can Eat Buffet food culture doesn't help, but that wasn't mentioned in the study--nor was the taste factor included. I know that personally speaking if food tastes really good I am less likely to stop eating it even if I am full, but I'm guessing that's part of another study.