Two Ways To Eat Less:

Here are two tips to improve your eating habits. They come from neuroscientist Dr. Darya Rose, author of “Foodist: Using Real Food and Real Science to Lose Weight Without Dieting.”

First, play relaxing music during meals. Because, the faster we eat, the more we eat. And just like playing upbeat songs can influence how fast you’ll walk or run – it can have the same effect on how quickly we eat. We literally eat to the beat. That’s a trick that bars and restaurants use. When loud, fast music is playing, people eat and drink more quickly. So do the opposite… put on something mellow. Because when we eat at a relaxed pace, we feel full sooner.

Another trick to eat better: Stop looking at food packages. Dr. Rose says, first of all, food manufacturers put health claims on the front because it makes us more likely to buy. And ironically, believing a packaged food is healthy can cause overeating. Because when the label says “low-fat,” “low-carb,” or “low-cal,” we think, “Great! I can eat even MORE of this!” Plus, people tend to reward themselves for being “good” or healthy by eating more later on. So forget about any health claims on packaged food. Instead, buy foods without packaging that you know are healthy.