Even if you aren’t on a diet, you might have trouble picking out food when you order at a restaurant. You’ve got so many choices. If you’re dining with friends, let someone else make the decision for you.
Photo by John Seb Barber
As Science of U suggestss, sometimes you might let your friends pick what to eat:
I started doing that when I learned that agonizing over decisions can be stressful. And in the restaurant scenario, the consequences of what you eventually choose are not that different from a different option you might have chosen.It’s never backfired — I always select people who I believe have my best interests at heart, and who know I need lots of protein. I don’t really ever dine alone, but I do often ask the staff for their recommendations.
This tip not only reduces decision fatigue that can zaps your willpower, it lets your friend keep you accountable for your healthy eating choices.
Let Your Friends Order Your Food [Science of Us]
Comments
12 responses to “Avoid Decision Fatigue At Restaurants: Have Friends Order Your Food”
“Decision fatigue”?
“agonizing over decisions can be stressful”?
At a restaurant? Are you kidding me? How f$%king sad.
you make an interesting point, chompers.
Oh wait… No, you don’t.
Many mental health issues (such as Depression, OCD, Anxiety, BPD, Bipolar etc) weigh heavily on an individuals decision making thought processes.
On top of that, anybody who is trying to stick to any sort of diet (whether it’s “Try to have at least X Number of calories per day” or “Try to avoid high sodium foods” or whatever) knows how tough it can be going backwards and forwards between “I should keep my health in mind” and “I’m eating out, it doesn’t count”.
Adding the extra variable of price just makes things more troubling, especially those with financial concerns.
So, to answer your questions…
Yes, Yes, Yes, No.
And a rebuttal to your statement: Grow up
I’m sorry that your “Depression/OCD/Anxiety/BPD/Bipolar” is triggered by “decision fatigue” stemming from having to choose a meal from a restaurant menu, and that you’re unable to stick to a diet, and that you’re poor.
I have dealt with depression before, and it’s NEVER been triggered by the difficulty of choosing a meal from a restaurant menu.
And it’s great you think that when you’re on a diet, you should make someone else responsible for what you eat. Asking the staff for recommendations is clearly not in that category.
And if you’re so poor that you can’t afford to eat out… maybe you shouldn’t eat out? No?
Please learn to read properly.
You are doing great at demonstrating your illiteracy and generally poor communication skills (which is quite ironic).
On the plus side: Good job for beating depression.
Nothing in the article suggests its targeted at people with mental health issues so that’s a pretty big jump to come to that conclusion. You may not wrong though. perhaps this article is targeted at a very small % of the population and they just forgot to mention it.
Also, if i was on a strict diet and had financial concerns but still found myself at a restaurant staring at the menu, I don’t think I anyone but myself would be able to make the best decision for me.
I’m surprised that you feel that 45% is a “very small % of the population”
Link: http://www.sane.org/images/stories/information/factsheets/fs13_facts&figures.pdf
45% of the population will experience a mental disorder at some stage in their lives. That certainly doesn’t mean 45% of people will experience serious levels of stress/anxiety from having to order food at a restaurant at any given time.
Surely discussing the menu is part of the whole socialising thing? And discussing things is why you’ve decided to dine with that person(s) in the first place?
And I’m not going to accept that “decision fatigue” is a thing.
But if I’m wrong and it turns out to indeed be a thing, I’m getting signed off work with it.
http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/psp/94/5/883/