Influence of documenting lunch menu details on subsequent snack intake

In this study we examined the effect on subsequent snack intake of having participants document their lunch menus. In Experiment 1, we asked all participants to have lunch as usual. However, some were instructed to document their lunch menus before eating. These participants demonstrated lower snack intake than control condition participants who had not documented their lunch menus. In Experiment 2, participants in both groups ate snacks freely while viewing TV, which functioned as a stimulus interfering with recall of lunch menus. There was no difference in snack intake between participants who had documented their lunch menus and those who had not.