Reusable Shopping Bags Makes You Fat

Oh yes you are.

A recent study was touted in the NY Times, in which it is shown that people who bring their own reusable shopping bags were more likely to shop for organic and healthy things because of it, but were also more likely to purchase more unhealthy indulgent stuff like ice cream and chocolate.

The researchers attribute the changes to two distinct, largely unconscious processes. The first, called the priming effect, comes into play when you bring reusable bags and then “behave in a congruent fashion, and buy environmentally friendly products,” said Bryan Bollinger, a study co-author and assistant professor at Duke.

Many of us are probably more familiar with the other effect, called the licensing effect. “Previous research suggests that making a virtuous decision in one domain allows you to make an indulgence in a different domain” — like when you have dessert because you just went to the gym, said Uma R. Karmarkar, another study author and an assistant professor at Harvard.

 A huge amount of harm is done by paying attention to this kind of study. It's the same bad science that causes Dr. Oz to get on TV and tout green coffee beans as a miracle weight loss supplement, and the same kind of thinking that turns butter into a "bad fat" then into a "good fat".

If you abandon scientific trends and microp-studies and keep consistent in a philosophy of "less processed is more better", this actually makes sense.

First of all, the sample size is 111 people in ONE location. Though millions of trips were recorded, the sample size kinda makes inferring anything about these effects moot. It's like inferring that Donald Trump WILL be the Republican candidate for president based on his lead in the current polls...of the rightest-of-right wing wackos who are participating in preliminary straw polls.

And let's not forget cause and effect. Is a shopper bringing a bag then decide on the spot to buy healthier, or do they plan to buy healthier in advance and then decide to bring a bag to bolster that decision? Chicken, egg? 

It makes me wonder, what about the health effects of an economic cost to not bringing your own bags? I know Wholefoods purposefully asks me every time, "Did you bring your own bag?" to normalize the act of bringing them, and give a 5 cent discount for every bag you bring. However, there is a move gaining popularity across states to charge 5 or 10 cents per disposable bag used. If me wanting avoid the surcharge lead me to bring reusable bags, would that make it more likely I'd purchase more expensive organics and less healthy foods? My gut says, "of course not", but I imagine a sample of 10,000 across the nation over a period of a few years would answer the question definitively.

These little studies are fun exercises....to use your critical thinking. Otherwise, you end up buying magic beans.

WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2710
Up and down week, getting though the summer.

-----

MONDAY COUNT:2690

SLEPT: 12pm-6am, 6 hrs

AM SNACK: 10 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST 1: 10:30am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 11:15am, steel cut oatmeal, 450 cal

LUNCH: 2pm, almond butter and grape jelly on whole wheat bread, pickles, health salad, 620 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, momma salad, cheezits, 310 cal

DINNER: 7pm, flounder, asparagus, poppa salad with dressing, 650 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:30pm, popcorn +/-500 cal
-----

TUESDAY COUNT: 2680

SLEPT: 9pm-6:30am, 9.5hrs

AM SNACK: 6:45 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 9:30am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10:30am, age yogurt wit honey, vanilla, almonds, 450 cal

LUNCH: 1:45pm, chicken meatballs, lentil curry, steamed string beans, pickles,  680 cal

PM SNACK: 3:30pm, momma salad, cheezits, 310 cal

DINNER: 6:45pm, stouffers french bread pizza, poppa salad, 1080 cal

-----

BIKE CREDIT: 1150 cal
WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2090

SLEPT: 11pm - 6am, 7 hrs

AM SNACK: 6:15am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 8am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BIKE SNACK: 9:45am, 2 donuts, +/- 900 cal

LUNCH: 2:45pm, sautéed shrimp & mushrooms, poppa salad with dressing, 630 cal

PM SNACK: 5:45pm, momma salad, 100 cal

PM SNACK: 7:30pm, cashews, 250 cal

DINNER: 8pm, Chipotle Burrito, ice cream, +/- 1100 cal
-----

THURSDAY COUNT: 3105

SLEPT: 12am-6am, 6 hours

AM SNACK: 6:15am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST 1: 7:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 11:30am, fage yogurt with honey, almonds, vanilla, 450 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, almond butter and grape jelly on whole wheat, pickles, 560 cal

PM SNACK: 2pm, momma salad, 100 cal

PM SNACK: 5:30pm, poppa salad with dressing, cheezits, 410 cal

DINNER: 7pm, Schezuan food, ice cream sandwich, +/- 1100 cal

EVENING SNACK: 9pm, nutella, 325 cal

-----

FRIDAY COUNT: 2985

SLEPT: 11pm-6:30am, 7.5 hours

BREAKFAST: 6:45am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST 1: 7:30am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10:30am, fruit smoothie, 450 cal

LUNCH: 1:30pm, grilled chicken breast, poppa salad, pickles, 615 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, momma salad, cheezits, 310 cal

DINNER: 7pm, Ethiopian food, sweets & tea +/- 1000 cal