IS TECHNOLOGY MAKING YOU FAT?

Technology might make life easier, but it can play havoc with your weight. Find out if your tech-savvy lifestyle is risking your waistline.

We can’t live without technology these days. But have you ever thought about how it might be impacting your weight? When experts at a US-based think tank crunched the numbers, they found that whenever a country invests an extra 10 per cent in information communications technology, the rate of obesity in that country climbs by almost 1.5 per cent of the total population. In Australia, this equals roughly 350,000 new cases of obesity.

If you’re keen to limit the damage technology has on your weight, avoid these five common tech traps.

TECH # 1 TRAP
Combining meal time with screen time.

By eating dinner in front of the TV or having lunch at your computer, you’ll often consume more food than you need. One explanation is that screen time is distracting. It blurs your ‘food memory’— and new research shows that when you can’t recall how much you ate during a meal, you’ll consume 25 per cent more food than usual at the next one.

AVOID IT BY

Chewing your food more

The best solution is committing to screen-free meals, but when you can’t, chew every bite really thoroughly. People who increase their chews-per-bite from 15 to 40 eat 12 per cent less of the food on their plate. As well as giving your body more time to feel full, it helps regulate appetite hormones.


TECH # 2 TRAP
Ordering restaurant meals without leaving the house

The recent surge of meal delivery services like Uber Eats makes it easy to order in without resorting to fast food, so you can eat your favourite restaurant meal without leaving the house. The problem? Home cooking is the main ingredient in a healthier diet, with restaurant meals often just as high in kilojoules as fast food — and sometimes higher.

AVOID IT BY
Choosing a menu that displays nutritional info about each dish

When you have access to nutritional information, your subconscious nudges you to make a healthier choice. Not possible? Drink two glasses of water while waiting for your food. It creates a feeling of fullness that translates into you eating roughly 380 fewer kilojoules per meal.

TECH # 3 TRAP
Paying for groceries with the wave of a card

It makes life simple, but researchers at the University of Chicago discovered that when you pay by card, you end up with more unhealthy, discretionary foods in your trolley. It seems that simply not having to physically part with cold hard cash brings out the impulsive purchaser in us.

AVOID IT BY
Writing a meal plan and shopping with a list

Australian research confirms doing both will help you avoid the temptations of unhealthy food purchases and buy only what you’d planned to.

TECH # 4 TRAP
Looking at your phone before you hit the sack

When you’re exposed to the blue-tinged light of your phone, laptop and TV in the hour or two before bedtime, it disrupts your sleep patterns. This has a knock-on effect on your weight. Poor sleep can lead to weight gain because it increases levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin, while also lowering your levels of leptin, the hormone that suppresses your appetite.

AVOID IT BY
Downloading F.lux (justgetflux.com)

It’s an app that automatically adjusts your screen’s colour to suit the time of day in order to support your body clock’s rhythm — so at night, blue light turns reddish-orange. Another option is to make the two hours before bedtime a tech-free zone.


TECH # 5 TRAP
Binge-watching your favourite series

Results of a recent US study prove people who binge-watch up to six consecutive hours of media in one sitting are more likely to eat poorly, exercise less and to be overweight. Binge-watching prompts us to eat unhealthy foods to excess, as well as stealing time from healthier pursuits.

AVOID IT BY
Limiting how many episodes you watch at once

Research published last year says you’ll enjoy your favourite series more when you take a break between episodes.

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HOW TO: DIGITALLY DETOX

Try these four ways to tame your tech habit without really trying.

1. Turn your devices to silent. 

Hearing that ‘ding’ notification causes the same amount of mental distraction as actually using your phone or tablet.

2. Keep gadgets out of sight when socialising.

Not only does this deliver a zero-tech opportunity, you’ll get more out of your socialising too. Research shows just the presence of a smartphone lowers the quality of traditional-style conversations.

3. Move your chargers out of your bedroom. 

And make it a habit to plug in devices overnight. That takes away the temptation to use them before or after you’ve switched the lights off, something 42 per cent of Australians do.

4. And never (ever!) check your phone while you’re moving. 

You’ll be much safer too. Researchers from Queensland have confirmed that texting while walking significantly increases your accident and injury risk.

Written by Karen Fittall in "Healthy Food Guide", Australia, July 2018, excerpts pp.36-39. Digitized, adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.