Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think

Brian Wansink, director of Cornell’s Food and Brand Lab, explains in Mindless Eating that despite our efforts to limit food and drink consumption, we are unaware victims of an assortment of face-stuffing factors. Wansink’s hope is that we achieve better eating habits with minimal thought rather than employing intense, life-altering diets. Known for his examination of eating psychology, he believes that causes as obvious as plate or package size to as obscure as the variety of food colors available lend themselves to overeating and weight-gain. The book is successful in improving awareness of unseen factors related to ineffective dieting and weight loss, though Wansink’s research methods sometimes seem less than ideal. He rarely acknowledges apparent variables, but it’s evident throughout that he is not concerned with blinding readers with science. Wansink’s findings almost need no support, save for the reader’s recognition of his or her own patterns. There are no recipes or strict, radical menus; only behavioral tendencies and suggestions intended to make weight loss healthful and sustainable.