I was alerted to this Telegraph article on twitter by @bitchbuzz which is, quite frankly, ridiculous. ‘Research’ suggests that if women stare at a piece of cake then they will be less likely to eat it. The author is not credited but it must be a male staffer… surely any woman would disagree.
Chocolate cake... Yum!
The study of 54 females, asked 50% to stare at a picture of chocolate cake, the other half at a flower. When presented with a choice of snack –an oatmeal cookie or a piece of chocolate – more of the Cake group chose the oatmeal cookie. The groups were split by dietary consumption: healthy – cake group; unhealthy – flower group; the psychologist concludes that this history and the correlating groups choice to mean that staring at unhealthy food will make you choose a healthy option.
Since when were oatmeal cookies a healthy option?????
Errrr. No. Oats do not automatically = healthy. Nutrition-wise, I would go for the chocolate every time. Not only is an oatmeal cookie all carbs (albeit is unrefined) you can bet your bottom dollar that the biscuit contains sugar, honey, oil, and possibly some dried fruit – more sugar.
Healthy option? Not in this lifetime.
There has been a fallacy for years that ’health bars’ such as flapjacks and museli bars are a healthy snack. The marketing is focussed upon the wholesome ingredients of oats, nuts, rice puffs etc, however all is not what it seems. Whilst they are maybe more nutritious than a Mars Bar or Snickers, you have to ask what is the sweet gooey stuff that binds everything together? Of course if they contain nuts and/or seeds the protein will help slow the release of sugar into the blood stream but it more than the body needs and will not help those who are on the blood sugar rollercoaster.
The confusing thing is that manufacturers call sugar by a myriad of names including: glucose, barley syrup, rice syrup, honey, maltose, partially inverted syrup… So unless you’re up to speed on the latest names, its very easy fall into the trap of munching on a lot of needless calories before you know it. And I haven’t even talked about the carbohydrates or the fats yet…
Anyway, in my book, staring at a gorgeous cake will not stop you from deciding not to eat it, the opposite. There is always an option to say no, depending on the time of the month of course, however, the longer I dwell on the decision, the more I rationalise the choice. I find that the best course of action is total avoidance, or sharing if you’re with a friend.
Perfect summer snack to fix that sugar craving
My Top 5 Tips for avoiding cake:
1) Never go food shopping when you’re hungry. Tempting treats will always find their way into the trolley as the brain stops thinking rationally and searches out for food that contain glucose (sugar), the brains main source of fuel.
2) If you feel hungry, drink a glass of water and wait 10 minutes before eating. Our body often signals that its hungry when in fact we are dehydrated.
3) If you have that sugary craving, avoid a carbohydrate-laden snack and go for something naturally sweet such as carrots, apples, or strawberries.
4) Chew your food well. A sugar craving after eating is your body thinking it needs more energy to digest what’s been eaten.
5) Have a few nuts with something sweet to help reduce the flow of sugar into the blood stream.
***However, I’m a realist and if you’re in a gorgeous restaurant, or have had a bloody awful day and want to treat yourself, then go ahead, be my guest. BUT enjoy that cake, love the experience & don’t do it every day.
Your body will love you for it.***
Eating Well in a World of Temptation 