Slower = Slimmer

A map showing the average daily calorie consumption in countries all over the world. Yellow indicates more than 3,000 calories. The amount reduces by 500 calories as the color becomes darker. The darkest color indicates less than 2,000 calories consumed a day.

 
World Food Consumption image via Wikipedia

To avoid eating too much -- and earning a bigger pants size -- try this mealtime trick: Spend at least 30 minutes enjoying your food.

Research shows that scarfing down food as if every meal were your last actually reduces levels of key appetite-controlling hormones -- the ones that normally keep you feeling full and satisfied and tell you when to put down that fork.

Slower = Slimmer
In the study, lucky volunteers were served about 2 1/2 scoops of ice cream -- twice. On one day, they wolfed down the treat in 5 minutes flat. Then, on another day, they lingered over the bowl for a full half hour. Blood tests showed that slow eating increased levels of two appetite-lowering chemicals (peptide YY and glucagon-like peptide-1) by 25 to 30 percent. And these satisfaction hormones stayed high for the next 2 1/2 hours. (Build a high-satisfaction weight loss plan with this customizable RealAge diet.)

Read more Satisfaction Secrets at RealAge.com