Don’t Clear the Table!
Here’s a trick to try.
Leave the evidence. Whether it’s the candy wrappers on your desk, the wing bones on your dinner plate, or the empty cookie box on your kitchen counter, seeing the proof of your indulgence can help curb overeating.
Seeing Is Believing
In a study, people who went to a sports bar could eat chicken wings free of charge and to their hearts’ (and stomachs’) content. Servers cleared away the bones at some tables but let the bone plates pile up at others. No surprise: People ate less when evidence of their feast remained front and center.
4 More Sensible Strategies
A few other ways to stop yourself from eating more than you should:
Eat a bit of healthy fat before a meal.
Eat the Good Fat First
Choosing the right appetizers may help you eat less
Written by RealAge, Inc., peer-reviewed by Dr. Axel Goetz, September 2004
If you’re trying to watch your weight, you don’t have to entirely avoid that bread basket and dish of olive oil before your meal. Noshing on whole-grain bread dipped in olive oil may actually help you eat less overall. Consuming a small amount of healthy unsaturated fat, such as olive oil, before a meal slows the rate at which the stomach empties, which means:
You’ll digest your food more slowly, so you’ll eat less but still feel full.
Your blood sugar won’t hit a high peak after you eat, but will remain at a lower, stable level.
Your body will more easily absorb fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K, as well as fat-soluble nutrients such as lycopene and lutein.
Eat three meals a day, plus several healthy snacks, so you’re never ravenously hungry.
Size up — accurately — what’s on your plate.
Be smart about artificial sweeteners.
too much food? Try a game.
food, smart eating, healthy portions
food, smart eating, healthy portions
Leave a Reply