Is Your House Making You Fat?

Reach for Chopsticks

Trade forks for chopsticks, because “you are forced to eat more slowly and deliberately, which makes you consume less and feel fuller,” food psychologist Brian Wansink says. “Plus, you eat less per bite than you would with a fork.”

Wansink studied normal-weight and obese diners at Chinese buffets in three states and found that chopstick-users are much more likely to be slim than obese.

Another tip: Pull out the charming plates and stemware you inherited from your grandmother. They were about 33% smaller in her day, which means petite portions for you. “Big dishes and big spoons are big trouble,” Wansink says. “They cause us to serve ourselves more because they make the food look so small.”

Tip: Rethink that red dining room. Restaurants often use shades of yellow, orange, and red because these hues have been proven to stimulate appetite, restaurant consultant Arlene Spiegel says. Think about the red-and-yellow McDonald’s logo … no mistake there.