One Trick to Drop Your Caloric Intake How an Optical Illusion Makes You Overeat
When we want to eat healthier, we pay a great deal of attention to what’s on our plate, but do we think about our plates themselves? Nutrition experts Brian Wansink and Koert Van Ittersum say we really should. Beyond checking that the plate or bowl you pulled from the cabinet is clean, you probably don’t pay too much attention to your dishware. But if you want to cut down on the calories, you should also cut down on your plate size. Professors Wansink and Van Ittersum found that eating from a larger plate causes people to eat more food, because they think they don’t have
half-empty plate can make your body think it’s still hungry. If you want to feel full and shrink your portion sizes, grab a smaller plate before you fill it with food. This doesn’t mean you should toss out all your bigger plates and bowls. The Delboeuf illusion can be used to your advantage if you serve healthy foods like vegetables on large plates to get yourself to eat more. Meanwhile, when you want to treat yourself without overindulging, using a 5-ounce appetizer bowl to get a scoop of ice cream can satisfy your sweet tooth without sabotaging the scale. Optical illusions aren’t the only thing that can add to your waistline. If you’re ready to learn about other factors that might be causing unhealthy habits, give us a call at 704.658.1522. Our fitness experts can teach you how to take control of your health.
where your brain perceives something as being smaller when it’s surrounded by more empty space. A study conducted at a health and fitness camp found individuals who were given larger bowls consumed 16 percent more cereal than those with smaller bowls. And when asked to estimate how much they had eaten, campers with the larger bowls gave estimates of 7 percent lower than campers who ate from smaller bowls. Essentially, we will fill up the space available to us, whether we need that food or not. Unfortunately, just because you know the Delboeuf illusion will cause you to grab a bigger serving of spaghetti on your big plate, you might not be able to ignore it. Your brain still perceives the empty space as making your meal look smaller. Consequently, even if you eat just the right amount, sitting with a
enough on their plate.
This is called the Delboeuf
illusion, and it’s a phenomenon
TACO SALAD TO GO April is always busier than you think, and it’s important to keep up your energy while you’re on the go. Try this convenient and healthy salad-in-a-jar recipe, perfect for a midafternoon pick-me-up.
INGREDIENTS
• 1/2 cucumber, chopped • 1/2 cup black olives • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped • Fresh spinach • 1 Mason jar
• 8 ounces cooked chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces • 1/2 cup salsa • 1 large lime, juiced • 1 large avocado • 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
DIRECTIONS
4. Place tomatoes, cucumber, and olives on top, followed by cilantro and as much spinach as you can fit. 5. Seal and refrigerate until you’re ready for lunch.
1. Place salsa in bottom of Mason jar. 2. Put avocado in a separate bowl, and mix with lime juice. Drop mixed avocado into the jar. 3. Add chicken.
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