Did you know?: Dining with friends can make you fat

Dining with friends could be bad for those on a diet as it tempts you into eating unhealthy dishes from the menu.


Ians September 04, 2012

Dining with friends could be bad for those on a diet as it tempts you into eating unhealthy dishes from the menu. Eric Robinson, a psychologist, believes a person tends to pick up bad eating habits from friends they spend too much time with — you become a part of this vicious follow-the-rules cycle. 

“There is a lot of evidence that points towards this idea that your friends make you fat. If you have friends who have put on weight recently, then you will put some on too,” he said. “We found that pairing people with unhealthy eating partners reduced the amount of healthy food they were eating — they picked the dishes that were high in calories.”

A research also proved that when people eat alone, they choose healthier foods as compared to when they are dining with others. Recognising this fact could help diet-conscious people when they are out — order before your friends, to avoid conforming to their choices!

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5th, 2012.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ