JUNE 1 2019 LISTENER 37
G
ET
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AG
ES
tossed in a bin or eaten, it’s still
wasted (unless you compost it or
save it for later), because eating when
you’re not hungry is wasting food,
too.
Researchers recently discovered
that we have a greater desire to
continue eating if there is only a
small amount left over.
Their findings, published this
year in the journal Appetite, also
found that we justify eating small
amounts of less-nutritious leftovers
by “healthifying” them – that is,
convincing ourselves the food is more
nutritious than it really is.
They also noted that having
the option to save them, or take
leftovers home from a restaurant,
reduced our desire to keep eating.
Often what we’re trying to avoid is
guilt about wasting food. In essence,
eating unwanted food is a form of
“emotional eating”.
The best way to break the habit is
to leave one or two mouthfuls
of food uneaten on the
plate at every main meal.
Keep doing this until
you feel comfortable
with leaving it there, and
you’re able to pause and
check your fullness cues
to decide whether you
need it. l
Email your nutrition questions
to [email protected]
SCIENCE AND NATURE BRIEFS
Often what we’re
trying to avoid is
guilt about wasting
food. In essence,
eating unwanted
food is a form of
“emotional eating”.
DOING THE ROUNDS
The Great Whirl, a giant whirlpool in the Indian
Ocean that produces strong waves and intense
currents, is bigger than previously thought.
Its average size is greater than that of New
Zealand, according to 23 years of satellite data.
The clockwise-spinning whirlpool, off the coast
of Somalia, starts to form in April, when ocean
winds change from west to east. At its peak in
the Indian monsoon season, the currents can
be a kilometre deep. The whirlpool lasts on
average 198 days a year.
SMOKE SIGNALS
In a study of more than 165,000 Japanese
smokers, researchers at the Riken Center
for Integrative Medical Sciences identified
new genes associated with the number of
cigarettes smoked in a day, smoking initiation
and the age at which smoking begins. The
genetic components of smoking were
significantly different between the sexes,
and the researchers identified 11 diseases not
previously found in European studies that
share the same genetic basis as the smoking
behaviours.
ON SHAKY GROUND
Seismometers on the lunar surface, left by
Apollo astronauts, have recorded tremors on
the moon caused by the Earth’s gravitational
pull, meteorite strikes and the expansion of
the moon’s surface when the sun rises. Shallow
quakes a few kilometres beneath the surface
are now believed to be caused by young faults
and escaping internal heat. The movement
raises questions about whether potential moon
bases would be affected by thrust faults as the
moon cools and contracts.
VAULT INTO HISTORY
Archaeologists have discovered a hidden
chamber in Roman emperor Nero’s “golden
palace”, Domus Aurea. The vault, left
undetected for nearly 2000 years, is adorned
with vivid murals painted in rich
pigments depicting centaurs,
panthers, a sphinx and
Pan, god of the wild.
The 4.5m-high room
was found by chance
as researchers
were working in
a neighbouring
chamber. Nero’s
immense palace
consisted of at least
300 rooms, covering
120ha across four of
Rome’s seven hills.