3 Ways to Trick Yourself Into Eating Less

Food is everywhere. No matter where we go – home, work, school, stores, events – we are never far from a variety of tempting food options. After awhile, even people with an abnormal amount of willpower will break down and dig in.

I’ve been wondering lately: Is it possible to stop ourselves from overeating or eating when we aren’t hungry? With temptation in every corner of our lives, how can a person stay slim, healthy and happy?

Nutrition Action Health Letter recently addressed this very subject in an interview with Brian Wansink, author of Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life. Here are three of the practical tips he gave to help us eat less:

1. Eat out of tall, skinny containers instead of wide ones. People will eat more chips from a wide, shallow bowl than a tall, narrow bowl or glass. Serve your cereal, ice cream, or snack food accordingly so you’re less likely to overdo it.
2. Use smaller bowls, plates, and spoons. Both kids and adults will serve themselves more – and eat more – if they are offered large bowls or plates. Wansink said even nutrition professors served themselves 53% more ice cream when they had a larger scoop and bowl!
3. Serve the healthiest food first. People tend to take more of whatever they see first. At home and elsewhere, serve vegetables first, rather than along with or after the rest of the meal. If you’ve eaten a large serving of vegetables, you’ll be more satisfied and less likely to overindulge on the higher calorie foods that come later.