A new study shows that when people grocery shop while hungry, they tend to fill their baskets with higher calorie food products.
A new study conducted by researchers from Cornell University in the U.S. provides yet another useful tip for people who are on a diet and looking to lose weight. Researchers found that people who go grocery shopping when hungry tend to fill up their baskets with higher calorie food products. People tend to skip meals for many reasons like fasting, dieting or simply because of lack of time. Hence, it is best not to go shopping on an empty stomach or this could sabotage both your shopping and your diet.
"People skip meals for all sorts of reasons - dieting, fasting, insane schedules that make you forget to eat," said Aner Tal, lead author of the study from the Cornell Food and Brand Lab. "But it doesn't matter why you skipped a meal, it can still make your nutritionist cry - making you buy more potato chips and ice-cream and less baby carrots and skim milk."
Sixty-eight participants who had skipped a meal took part in the study. Half of them were given wheat thins to curb their hunger pangs while the other half were left hungry. They were then taken to a store and asked to shop for grocery.
The researchers found that the group that had not eaten anything bought 18.6 percent more food which contained 31 per cent more high calorie snacks.
"Make sure you don't skip a meal, or at least have a snack like apples or string cheese in your office," said Brian Wansink, co-author of the paper. "Breakfast is the most skipped meal, and even having something for lunch that has protein will cut your hunger edge."
