Mindless snacking is a problem for many a weight-watcher who can find they have polished off a box of chocolates while they are distracted by the TV.
Now scientists have developed a device they say will help people to pay more attention to what they consume by monitoring how many mouthfuls they eat.
The Bite Counter is worn like a watch and tracks a pattern of wrist-roll motion to identify when the wearer has taken a bite of food.
It was developed by researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina, who described it as a pedometer for eating.
Lead scientist Professor Eric Muth, said, “At the societal level, current weight-loss and maintenance programs are failing to make a significant impact.
“Studies have shown that people tend to underestimate what they eat by large margins, mostly because traditional methods rely upon self – observation and reporting.
“Our preliminary data suggest that bite count can be used as a proxy for caloric count.”
The advantage of the Bite Counter is that it is automated so that user bias is removed. The device can be used anywhere, such as at restaurants or while working, where people find it difficult to manually track and remember calories.
Study co-author Professor Adam Hoover, said, “The device only requires that the user press a button to turn it on before eating and press the button again after the meal or snack is done.
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“In between, the device automatically counts how many bites have been eaten.”
He added that in laboratory studies, the device has been shown to be more than 90 per cent accurate in counting bites, regardless of the user, food, utensil or container.
Prototypes have been completed and devices are now being tested in 20 subjects for one month.
They will store logs of bite-count activities, which will provide researchers baseline data for developing guidelines for new weight-loss studies.
The team hopes their device will eventually be sold alongside gadgets such as heart-rate monitors.
–Daily Mail, London?