If You Eat & Run—Better Be Messy

Not everyone gets supersized on a fast food diet—what about the ancient Romans who lived in Pompeii? Since the city was buried beneath a volcano in 70 AD, we can only understand how they lived by studying the artifacts they left behind. Some of these show that the residents were fans of fast food as well—at least they liked to eat on the run.

In LiveScience.com, Heather Whipps quotes archaeologist Penelope Allison as saying, "I am looking at pots and pans and how houses actually functioned." She didn’t find many sets of dishes, but did find lots of small barbecue grills, "indicating that people were eating-and-running on the go."

If they stayed slim, it might be because they didn't clean up after themselves. A recent study showed that people watching the Super Bowl who saw how much they had already eaten—in this case, leftover chicken-wing bones—ate 27% percent less than people who had no such environmental cues.

The difference between the two groups—those eating at a table where leftover bones accumulated compared with those whose leftovers were removed—was greater for men than for women. Researcher Brian Wansink says, "The results suggest that people restrict their consumption when evidence of food consumed is available to signal how much food they have eaten." He suggests that at parties, we should encourage (or require) fresh plastic glasses for each drink and that the glasses be stacked as they accumulate for each person. This would discourage binge drinking, as well as overeating.

If eating and running has supersized YOU, you need the FREE diet book that’s right here on our website. To read it, click here and scroll down to What I Learned From the Fat Years. Anne Strieber, who used to be a diabetic, devised this diet herself, using scientific principles, and lost 100 pounds by following it—and you can too. Click on unknowncountry.com every day to learn the latest health tips and if you want us to be here tomorrow, and also CHAT and enjoy