Okay, picture this. It's late at night, and you're not hungry -- until you see a commercial come on for your favorite fast food restaurant. Suddenly, you're salivating, and all you can think about is that you just have to get a burger. And, guess what? You don't have any with you, of course, so what do you do? That's right; you grab your coat, grab your keys, slip your shoes on, and take a late-night trip to your favorite fast food restaurant's drive-thru to get that burger you just all of a sudden can't live without.
Now, what's going on here? Why is it that all of your best intentions for NOT having your favorite fast food suddenly go out the window? Or, why is it that you weren't even thinking about it, when all of a sudden you can't think of anything else?
Simple. Advertisers are smart, and they know how to make food look so appetizing you can't think of anything else. It's based upon the concept of what's called the "conditioned reflex," made famous by a Russian scientist, Ivan Pavlov, beginning in the late 1890s. If you have ever heard of the phrase, "Pavlovian response," this is what we're talking about. In other words, you're responding to a situation reflexively, without ever thinking about it.
Ivan Pavlov's genius
Pavlov did experiments whereby he investigated the gastric functions of dogs through their salivary glands. His famous experiment coupled the use of a bell in conjunction with a dog's feeding schedule. Pavlov would ring this bell before feeding times, checking the dog's salivation reactions. What he found was that eventually, he could ring the bell without producing any food and the dog would still salivate in anticipation of the food. Hence, "conditioned reflex" is the concept he discovered.
Pavlovian response meets commercials: makes us want food
Now, commercial advertisers are great at using conditioned reflex to get us to want their products, especially food. As in the burger example above, you don't have to have the burger right in front of you, smelling it, to want it. All you have to do is to have experienced eating that burger previously (or something like it), then, all of a sudden, you see a picture of it or are brought to think about it in anticipation of what it tastes like, and.... what are you doing right now as I'm talking? That's right, you're probably salivating about that burger. See how powerful it is?
Unfortunately, this can lead to overeating
This isn't great news for consumers, because instead of following the true hunger pangs of our appetites, we are following a conditioned reflex, which really has nothing to do with hunger. But because it makes us salivate and because it makes us want the food, we often simply eat the food without stopping to see if we really are hungry. That means, we often take in too many calories and end up gaining weight.
Reinforcement is a several-pronged approach
Again, as I said previously, though, advertisers are smart. They don't just utilize Pavlovian principles on TV commercials; they take them to the commercial marketplace and relate them to their products there, so that you see them everywhere. They also use them in paper advertisements, billboards, radio, Internet -- we are literally inundated with advertisements 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to the point where oftentimes, we don't even know we are getting them, in that they've become unconscious. In fact, they can be so ubiquitous that we may even think we come up with these ideas ourselves, when in fact it's the power of suggestion simply based on a commercial we have seen multiple times.
Multiplicity is key
It's been said that you don't often actually buy a product the first time you hear about it; instead, you need to be exposed to its message at least seven times before it seriously sinks in and you think you want to try it. But that's not hard, because as I said previously, advertising is everywhere and we are constantly being inundated with messages that we have to try this product or that product.
Children are especially vulnerable
And if you think it's bad for adults, think about this. Adults are supposed to be savvy and cynical, so that they don't simply "fall for" this type of hypnotic advertising that makes us buy things we didn't know we wanted (and probably wouldn't have) if it hadn't been for the advertising itself. But it's worse for kids; without this so-called "cynical filter" we adults are supposed to have (and that often fails us miserably), they're even more gullible to the messages they see. Watch a Saturday morning cartoon block sometime. How many advertisements for sugared breakfast cereals do you see in a two-hour period? Chances are, you can't count them on two hands, and that's just on Saturday morning.
Kids, like adults, are constantly inundated with messages that they should want fast, greasy, cheap, sugared, processed, highly salted, prettily colored "food" that really isn't nutritious, and all too often, their parents buy it for them. No wonder we as a society are getting more and more overweight.
Is there a way to stop the madness?
Oh, that's a tough one. There is, but it's going to take lots of discipline and a conscious effort to turn OFF that Pavlovian response -- or at least learn how to ignore it most of the time. It involves being consciously aware that what you are experiencing is a conditioned response, not real hunger -- and then doing something else instead of satisfying it. Dieters do this all the time, of course, and it helps if you have a good, nutritious diet that keeps you satisfied so that you're not truly hungry and simply going to reach for that attractive "junk food" on the TV screen.
Your kids are another matter; you can instill good habits in them, but it's going to be up to you to control what they put in their mouths (as it always is) until they're old enough to make their own decisions and realize that they need to be healthy and nutritious in their food choices, too. With some luck, though, you can ignore those ads flashing across the TV screen, the billboard, the flashy slick insert in a Sunday newspaper -- and go out and do something else besides eat. How about a bike ride on a sunny Sunday afternoon!
Nutrition is important, we should never ignore any stimulus that affects our eating habits. Television commercials as well as a multitude of other media sources try everyday to pull you into their profit margins by disregarding your health. Fight their tactics with proven techniques that not only allow you to lead a healthier life but repair all the years of damage that your body has suffered through at the hands of corporations.
The Metabolic Maximization System will give you the tools and resources to finally take back your life and get the body you've always wanted.
Go to http://MetabolicMaximization.com now to find out the 10 deadly mistakes that dieters make when trying to lose weight...
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Townsend
Sunday, 19 September 2010
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Kids Overeating Because of Boredom and Depression?
One of the sad realities of our time is the fact that more children are overeating, some developing a serious eating disorder. Big screen televisions, video games and mega-size fast food portions ensure that not only are our children more lethargic because of our lifestyles, but they're also consuming larger portions of food that doesn't provide a lot of vitamins and other nutrients.
The main thing to remember when helping your children develop healthy eating habits is, don't make them feel guilty! When children feel guilty about what or how much they eat, habits may develop that could turn into a very serious eating disorder such as Bulimia, Anorexia or binge eating. Also, remember that kids naturally seem to eat a lot of food -- especially when they're in growing spurts. The trick is to gently lead them into eating healthy foods rather than the fast foods that most kids prefer.
Children may lean on food for comfort the same as adults. The root causes may be boredom from not having enough to do or someone to talk to -- all the way to a serious problem with depression. As with adults, the cause of the depression connected to overeating must be analyzed before the problem can be dealt with effectively.
School is usually a volatile time in a child's life. They must deal with making friends, getting good grades, having the "right" clothes, being part of the "in" crowd and last, but not least -- the hormones that are raging within their bodies and playing havoc with their minds. Parents can sometimes be overwhelmed with worry and concern about their child's welfare, especially during the preteen and teenage years.
Most children eventually get through all these trials and tribulations just fine, but sometimes an especially traumatic childhood, combined with difficult school days can push a child into depression that may lead to a serious eating disorder.
Signs that your child may have an overeating disorder include consuming too much food -- much too quickly, eating huge amounts of food late at night, becoming a loner - spending most of his time in his room (eating) and refusing to be with family or friends. Such patterns can alert you to a child on his way to an eating disorder and should be dealt with immediately.
Become a role model for your child. Developing healthy eating habits for yourself can set a great example for your children to follow. Pair healthy eating with exercise done both alone and with the family can add to your child's self-esteem and he can more easily gain control over the bad eating habits he's developed. If you suspect that your child may have an eating disorder, be sure and do your research - then, have a sit-down discussion with his pediatrician to determine the best course of action.
© 2009-present, Clara Myers. Visit Mind Mart for holistic health and more great meal planning resources.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clara_Myers
The main thing to remember when helping your children develop healthy eating habits is, don't make them feel guilty! When children feel guilty about what or how much they eat, habits may develop that could turn into a very serious eating disorder such as Bulimia, Anorexia or binge eating. Also, remember that kids naturally seem to eat a lot of food -- especially when they're in growing spurts. The trick is to gently lead them into eating healthy foods rather than the fast foods that most kids prefer.
Children may lean on food for comfort the same as adults. The root causes may be boredom from not having enough to do or someone to talk to -- all the way to a serious problem with depression. As with adults, the cause of the depression connected to overeating must be analyzed before the problem can be dealt with effectively.
School is usually a volatile time in a child's life. They must deal with making friends, getting good grades, having the "right" clothes, being part of the "in" crowd and last, but not least -- the hormones that are raging within their bodies and playing havoc with their minds. Parents can sometimes be overwhelmed with worry and concern about their child's welfare, especially during the preteen and teenage years.
Most children eventually get through all these trials and tribulations just fine, but sometimes an especially traumatic childhood, combined with difficult school days can push a child into depression that may lead to a serious eating disorder.
Signs that your child may have an overeating disorder include consuming too much food -- much too quickly, eating huge amounts of food late at night, becoming a loner - spending most of his time in his room (eating) and refusing to be with family or friends. Such patterns can alert you to a child on his way to an eating disorder and should be dealt with immediately.
Become a role model for your child. Developing healthy eating habits for yourself can set a great example for your children to follow. Pair healthy eating with exercise done both alone and with the family can add to your child's self-esteem and he can more easily gain control over the bad eating habits he's developed. If you suspect that your child may have an eating disorder, be sure and do your research - then, have a sit-down discussion with his pediatrician to determine the best course of action.
© 2009-present, Clara Myers. Visit Mind Mart for holistic health and more great meal planning resources.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clara_Myers
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