PRACTICALLY ACTIVE: Research suggests exciting new way to think about dessert

Democrat-Gazette file photo
Democrat-Gazette file photo

I love good food — let me put that out there. But for diabetics like me, or anyone else who needs to control food intake, eating can sometimes feel boring and we may feel deprived.

So when I received an email from the American Psychological Association titled "High-Calorie Desserts Might Not Be All Bad," my interest was piqued.

The article explains research that is rather intriguing. It deals with the thought process that goes into choosing your dessert, when you decide to choose one and the subconscious thoughts that affect what you choose to eat during the rest of the meal.

During the study, researchers placed a healthful or less healthful dessert (fresh fruit vs. lemon cheesecake) at the beginning and end of a university cafeteria line.

They found that when diners picked the cheesecake first, they chose lower-calorie main or side dishes down the line and ultimately consumed fewer calories than diners who chose fresh fruit first. The same effect was not found when either dessert was placed at the end of the line.

One of the lead study authors, Martin Reimann, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Arizona, says, "Diners who picked the healthier dessert may have thought they already had done a good deed for their bodies so they deserved the higher-calorie food farther down the cafeteria line."

In the cafeteria experiment, 134 diners were interviewed after they passed through the line. There were a variety of dessert, main and side dish options, and the diners' food choices were surreptitiously recorded during the interviews. The leftover food was noted to estimate the total calories consumed. The cafeteria offered a fixed-price menu to make sure that paying for a dessert didn't matter so as to not throw off the results.

What they determined was that the diners who chose the indulgent dessert first consumed an average of 30 percent fewer calories, including the dessert, than the diners who picked the healthier dessert first.

In another study, participants were given two- or seven-digit numbers to memorize and remember before they ordered food. They found that those with more numbers to remember were more likely to choose high-calorie main and side dishes after picking the high-calorie dessert.

"People should be aware that their initial food choices and mindset may affect the overall healthiness of their meals," Reimann says.

It's a simple concept that has merit. Plan ahead for indulgences and work them into your eating plan. Dessert doesn't have to be eliminated, it just needs to be "handled."

BLOOD AND THE FLOOD

My sister and her husband are in from Georgia for a visit. They brought their recreational vehicle, and that works well — usually.

This time around their usual place to "camp" in North Little Rock is closed due to flooding. They got to stay a night or two but were given notice they'd need to leave as the Arkansas River started to rise.

With all the others in the same boat, it took time and effort to find a place to go, but they did.

During times like this, people often struggle to have their needs met, whether it's food, shelter or medical care. But what if the medical care was hampered by the lack of the life-giving fluid we call blood?

I received an email from the Arkansas Blood Institute, and until then I hadn't given much thought to how the flooding would affect blood donation.

According to the institute, the blood supply is drying up. I get it that people have other things on their minds. The water will go down, but we can only hope the donations go up.

The email states that the flooding and severe weather ravaging the state have critically affected the supply of life saving blood. "In order to prevent a shortage, your donation is needed now."

For information or to register to donate, go to yourbloodinstitute.org or call (877) 340-8777.

Donation doesn't take long and costs nothing other than a stick in the arm. And you get snacks and a beverage.

Email me at:

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Style on 06/03/2019

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