How to eat less

Presented with the favourite food, each one of us has our weak spot. The below tips, taken from the prominent gastro-neurologist Professor Charles Spencer will help you to own your food choices and control better what and how much you eat. You can indeed feel more satisfied, while eating less. See how:

1. Out of sight, out of mind – if you hide the food, or at least make it less available to your eyes, you will be less tempted.
2. Drink one to two glasses of water before meals. Studies show, that this habit does decrease food consumption.
3. Be mindful of what you eat – eliminate distractions like TV. Researchers have even made the experiment that eating in front of a mirror, helps us realize better and decrease the amount of food we consume.
4. Texture of the food- get as much as you can. Experiments show that people consumed much more calories with apple juice, compared to when having apple puree. And also more calories having apple puree, compared to eating apples. You get it: exactly the same food, in different forms with less or more texture. Chewing sends our brain satiety signals, so should not be avoided.
5. Smell – much like texture, it sends signals to our brain. Actually, in the aroma of the food resides the majority of the pleasure from eating. That is also why you should never drink with a straw – you will just miss out on all of that. Also, avoid drinking ice water with meals, as the cold numbs our taste buds.
6. Eat from a smaller plate. We have all heard this advice, but it is worth reminding, as the results from such experiments are staggering – people are found to eat 40% less!
7. Eat from a heavy bowl – serve your soup in such a dish and when you hold it, you will trick your brain, that you have consumed more.
8. Eat from a red plate – this colour seems to trigger some kind of avoidance motivation.
9. Eat with chopsticks, your non-dominant hand, or a smaller fork. Basically, the point is to make it more difficult to get the food into your mouth. Slower eating leads to more mindfulness, which helps to feel satiated sooner.
10. Last but not least – serve smaller portions and simply remember to eat less!

And no matter how much you end up eating, remember to always make the right food choices by selecting healthy ingredients only.