- Choose smart snacks. According to Dr. James Kenney, a nutrition research specialist, some snacks can suppress ghrelin, the hunger hormone. Pick foods that are low-calorie, but nutrient rich such as strawberries, broccoli and sweet potatoes. These foods satisfy your appetite with fewer calories than snacks such as chips or cookies. Snacking on fruits and vegetables is always a healthy option as well as whole grains, yogurt, trail mix and nuts.
- Use the 20-minute rule. Drink a glass of water about 20 minutes before eating. This helps you feel full and eat less food. If you're having dinner in a restaurant, go somewhere else for dessert. By the time you get there, 20 minutes will pass and you'll feel full, passing on dessert. It takes about 20 minutes for the brain to receive the "full" signal. So wait before having a second helping of dinner or dessert.
- Pull out the blender and put it to use. Blending increases serving size by adding air but not calories. Professor Barbara Rolls discovered that study subjects who drank smoothies and other blended drinks, blended for at least twice as long as necessary, ate 12 percent less and felt more full than those who drank beverages blended for shorter periods of time.
- Add water instead of calories to your food. Try adding lettuce or tomatoes to burgers or fish, they are low in calories and add valuable nutrients.
