(NaturalPath) According to a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, you can add a new wearable technology to the list of things that can help aid weight loss. One way it works is by providing bite count feedback, which allows users to keep track of the number of bites during a meal. Researchers wanted to analyze how providing bite count feedback might influence eaters in different situations and determine its efficacy in the presence of environmental cues linked to overeating. The study found that people who received bite count feedback ate less and reduced their overall intake during a meal. Some of the subjects were given a large or small plate (large plates are associated with consuming more food) and the group that received the bite count feedback significantly reduced their intake regardless of plate size.
“It was found that the presence of bite count feedback led to a reduction in overall consumption. This finding is consistent with current literature that shows feedback on consumption leads people to consume less,” explained one researcher. “It was found that this type of feedback does not eliminate the effect of environment cues such as plate size. Individuals may eat less when they receive bite count feedback, but feedback alone may not be sufficient in terms of helping them to take an ‘appropriate’ or ‘normal’ number of bites, particularly in the presence of large plates.”
In the second experiment, the participants were told to either meet the 12-bite or 22-bite goal. Both groups made their goals, but interestingly the low-bite group ate bigger bites, therefore having a similar intake to the other group.
“It is possible that this compensatory behavior is intentional, a reaction to a perceived limitation such that participants believed 12 bites to a too restricting of a goal,” said one researcher. “In other words, in an effort to reach satiety while not surpassing the given goal, participants felt as though they needed to take larger bites than they typically would.”
The bit feedback helps people cut down on eating without thinking about it. If you can get a bite feedback counter, it could help reduce caloric intake.
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.