BLT Quiz - Bites, Lick & Taste

BLT Quiz - Bites, Lick & Taste	10/5/2010


Are you biting, licking and tasting your way to sabotaging your own diet? Take the BLT quiz below and find out if you are eating more calories than you realize. Whether you snack, eat leftovers, baked goods, treats, or just reach for a handful you may be sabotaging your diet without realizing it. 1. I often eat other people's leftovers. __________ 2. I eat snacks out of the bag instead of putting one portion in a bowl. __________ 3. I like to sample items from stores. __________ 4. My pantry is stocked with crackers, cookies, chips and other foods that are high in fat and/or sugar. __________ 5. My office has bowls of candies just waiting for the taking. __________ 6. I don't really eat a lot of fruits or vegetables on a regular basis. __________ If you answered true to 1 or more of these questions, you may be consuming more calories than your body needs. This can result in excess body fat. The bites, licks and tastes are all the hidden foods we put in our mouths throughout the day when we are really not that hungry. Some examples are: . Standing at the refrigerator and grabbing a piece of cheese . Going to the pantry and eating cookies and crackers . Eating chips out of the bag while watching TV or sitting at the computer . Sampling baked goods and deli treats at the grocery store . Eating leftovers instead of saving them for another meal . Sampling while cooking and baking . Finishing out the ice cream in the bottom of the container after eating a large portion . Stopping at the desk with the bowl of M&M's and taking a handful . . . or two. All these behaviors are sabotage for losing weight, according to Jeanette Esposito, CHWC, Cape Coral, Fla. One woman in their class consumed 1,365 extra calories this way, not including regular meals, because she ate everybody's leftovers, including pizza crusts from her family and her kids' French fries. Another lady ate half a bag of potato chips during the day because she left the bag open in the pantry and consumed a handful every time she passed. Bottom Line Snacking on the wrong kinds of foods, especially when you are not hungry, is not a good idea. Here are better behaviors: . Eat a good breakfast every day - this should consist of a whole grain cereal with skim milk and fruit. . Snack on plenty of fruits and vegetables instead of chips and crackers. . Eat a diet higher in fiber and lower in fat and refined foods so you feel more full on fewer calories. . Keep track of what you eat and be aware of BLT temptations!! Communicating Food for Health September 2004 foodandhealth.com