Eating in front of the TV has never been a good idea; people tend to overeat since they are not paying attention to the simple act of eating. Distracted by the on-screen drama, they just keep putting food in their mouths. Mindless eating generally means eating more. New research out of the US and Europe indicates that morbid images from TV shows may add to this problem since they inspire Read more

If you have an affinity for candy like I do, and you find that you chow down on candy without even knowing it, you may want to keep all those wrappers around as you eat. Recent research has found that having a visual reminder of how much we eat, keeps us honest and keeps us eating less. We see the empty wrappers piling up and register that it may be time to stop. So instead of throwing the Read more

It's not only the eight hours of sleep you get, or the 60 minutes you spend at the gym that help you become the healthiest you can be, but the little things that only take a few minutes, even seconds. The best way to break the cycle of mindless eating is to stop before you eat. So before you scarf down that plate full of Oreos, take five seconds to stop and ask yourself whether you are really Read more

If you have a long commute to and from work, you may be tempted to eat in the car. Mindless eating can really lead to overeating but especially if you're eating in the car. If you typically stop at fast-food places and scarf it down on the way home, wait until you get home to eat or, better yet, don't stop at all and cook for yourself at home. Before you know it, you'll break the habit of eating Read more

After hanging up from a marathon phone session with my sister a few days ago, I realized that I had somehow polished off two slices of leftover pizza, some bread and hummus and several handfuls of gummy bears — all right before dinner. Ever since then, I have decided that I should no longer talk on the phone in the kitchen. Talking on the phone in the kitchen can lead to overeating because not Read more

Let's start with the moral of the tale, seeing is believing. If you could see the quantities of food you were consuming you would probably stop before you overindulged. Especially when you consider the fact that the stomach takes about 20 minutes of eating to register a sense of feeling full. A recent study, published in the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills, illustrates this point Read more

A lot of us have the tendency to overeat. One of the major culprits is plate size. We tend to eat more than we should when eating off a big plate rather than a smaller plate. Brian Wansink author of Mindless Eating explains that fifty years ago, when Americans were a lot skinnier, plates were considerably smaller. Large plates and bowls lead to over eating for the same reason giant popcorn Read more