Eat or Scroll? Mindless Eating and Digital Distraction

I’ve started asking my family this mid-meal: 

“Right now, you’re eating and scrolling. Your food and your phone are competing for your attention - who are you going to choose?”

Because let’s be honest, we don’t just eat with our mouths anymore. 

We eat with our eyes. 

We eat with our screens. 

Sometimes, we even eat with strangers on the internet (Yes. Facetimes, mukbangs, zoom dinner nights and so on!)

Imagine this: a cheesy ramen pull, a perfectly arranged sushi platter, or a massive South Indian thali shows up on your FYP and suddenly, you’re craving stuff you’ve never even tasted. That, my friends, is visual hunger: the art of feeding your eyes before your stomach. And it’s real.

Food Porn is REAL. And It’s Messing With You.

Our brains are hardwired to fall for the look of food. It’s why strawberry yogurt dyed pink actually tastes more strawberry than one that’s just white. It’s why McDonald's chose red and yellow as their branding because those colors literally stimulate hunger.

But there’s a twist. Scrolling through food content doesn’t just make you drool, it might trick your brain into feeling “mentally full” even if your body’s still hungry. You’re consuming visual calories, not actual nutrients.

Look Up These Experiments if you’ve got more time!

• The Kandinsky Salad Experiment

• Pavlov’s Experiment

So what now?? Maybe give your meals the main character energy they deserve. No side-scrolling. No background noise. Just you, your plate, and some actual flavor.

Because your food shouldn’t have to compete with a screen to get your attention. And you shouldn’t have to scroll to feel full.