Downsize those dishes
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"Big serving bowls and plates can easily make us fat," says food psychologist Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think. Wansink's research paints a compelling argument: We eat about 22 percent more when using a 12-inch plate instead of a 10-inch plate. When we choose a large spoon over a smaller one, total intake jumps by 14 percent. And we'll pour about 30 percent more into a short, wide glass than a tall, skinny glass that can hold the same amount of liquid. Jackson Blatner suggests giving smaller dishes a 7-day trial run: "If you don't think it helps you, stop doing it. But almost everybody I know agrees that it works like magic," she says. "It's kind of shocking how simple it can be."

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