A Diet A Day

fat and skinnyOriginally uploaded by sladoo21

That’s the word based upon a series of twin studies in the October 2009 issue of Allure.  According to the studies, less fat distribution before age 40 makes people look younger, accentuating the cheekbones and the youthful contours of the face.  However, after age 40, excess fat tends to make people look younger, softening fine lines and wrinkles, and making the loosened collagen of the face (e.g., “jowls”) appear less noticeable.

So how much fat is too much?  No matter what your age, it is always advisable to keep your weight within the range of a healthy body mass index (BMI).   (To calculate yours with a BMI calculator from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, please click here).  Although several factors can affect its accuracy (such as bone structure, muscle mass, and a number of health ailments), the BMI is still the most accepted guideline amongst health professionals for assessing a patient’s weight.  Furthermore, if you’re over 40, don’t pack on the pounds just to look younger:  a very recent study featured on BMJ notes that weight gained between ages 18 and 50 significantly lower the odds of being healthy at 70 and beyond.

I personally am 27 years old, 5’4″, small-boned, and currently 110 pounds.  (Low BMI, but small-boned/petite).  In recent years, I have left my weight creep up as high as 115 pounds (see photo, left).   My face shows weight gains/losses very quickly, and significantly, as you can see.  With that said, I feel that I do look younger when I am at the lower weight (see photo, right).

What do you think about your weight and your skin?  Do you feel there is a correlation?  Let me know your thoughts in Comments below! 

Calorie restrictive diets often emphasize nutritive sources, like cherries.

Calorie restrictive (CR) diets have been proclaimed as an anti-aging source.  In human subjects, calorie restriction has been shown to lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and resting blood glucose levels. The diet has also been associated with increased lifespan in primates, rats, mice, spiders, Drosophila, C. elegans and rotifers. However, what does current scientific research say about potential benefits of a calorie restrictive diet for the skin?

Have there been any substantiated benefits of calorie restrictive diets and the skin?

Based on various scientific studies, calorie restriction may help the skin in four potential ways: decreasing contact dermatitis, prolonging the life of cells by upregulating sirtuin gene (SIRT1) levels, possibly preserving cellular DNA by decreasing free radical formation, and potentially preserving the softened, youthful state of collagen by decreasing the formation of advanced glycation endproduct glucosepane. More on each of these topics is below.

It was once believed that CR promoted levels of DHEA, a steroid prohormone that acts as a potent antioxidant in the skin. However, a 2004 study by Urbanski et. al. found that, while a calorie restrictive diet results in increased levels of DHEA in primates before puberty, CR does not affect DHEA levels in primates after puberty.

Do calorie restrictive diets really decrease contact dermatitis?

In the journal Toxicologic Pathology, researchers in 2001 found mice fasting for 48 hours had a lower level of allergic contact dermatitis when 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) was applied to the abdomen than mice who fasted for only 24 hours. The researchers believe that the reason for the lowered occurrence of allergic contact dermatitis is the fact that fasting alters various hormonal and immune conditions, resulting in a delayed immune response and, hence, a lowered allergic reaction.

How do calorie restrictive diets affect sirtuin levels?

A study published in Science magazine in 2004 demonstrated that CR diets in mammals turn on SIRT1 gene expression. Sirtuins are associated with prolonging the life of cells by turning off unnecessary gene expression. In the skin, the company Avon has demonstrated in research for their Avon Anew Ultimate Age Repair Elixir Serum and Night Cream that sirtuins in the cream can prolong the life of fibroblasts (collagen-producing cells in the skin) by turning off unnecessary gene expression. The idea behind sirtuins in skin care is to prolong the life of the fibroblasts, which aren’t expending more energy than they need to on unnecessary tasks. Therefore, by following a CR diet, you are increasing levels of sirtuins in your skin.

Does niacinamide hinder sirtuin activity?

Unfortunately, yes, sirtuins are inhibited by niacinamide, as demonstrated by a 2005 study by Avalos et. al. Niacinamide, proclaimed a “favorite skin care ingredient” by renowned cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Leslie Baumann, demonstrates many benefits in various independent research studies, as it has been shown to reduces fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness (yellowing), and increases elasticity. However your attempts to increase levels of sirtuins in your skin with a CR diet may be mostly futile if you use a moisturizer with niacinamide. Yet, given that topically niacinamide has so many documented effects for the skin, until further research is done, it seems to be a question of whether you want the effects of sirtuins or niacinamide more!

Does CR lower free radical production?

According to a 2001 study by Gredilla et. al., a 40% calorie restrictive diet was shown to decrease the level of free radical superoxide (an oxygen free radical) per unit electron flow in the respiratory chain. While studies at MIT have demonstrated that oxygen free radicals do not contribute to a shortened lifespan, another study has demonstrated that oxygen free radicals can damage the DNA of cultured skin cells. As such, using a CR diet to reduce oxygen free radicals may not expand longevity, but it reduce levels of oxygen free radical-induced DNA damage in the skin.

How does CR prevent collagen from hardening?

According to DeGrey, advanced glycation endproducts (appropriate acronym: AGE) play an important role in the aging of all of the cells of your body, including within the skin. AGEs come from the processing of blood sugar via the Maillard pathway (see here for more information). The advanced glycation endproduct called glucosepane is believed to be responsible for the toughened, hardened, aged state of collagen.

By using CR, you reduce blood sugar levels. By reducing blood sugar levels, you reduce the amount of sugars going into the Maillard pathway. As basic chemistry entails “less in equals less out,” by feeding less sugar into the Maillard pathway, it makes sense that less advanced glycation endproducts should result after the pathway.

However, sugar avoidance (like the Atkins diet) is not the solution. In a 2005 study by Beisswenger, patients were put on the Atkins diet, and it was found that the rate of AGE formation was actually doubled. (The patients were proven to be following the diet and appropriately “in ketosis” by the presence of ketones in their urine.) It seems that ketosis doubles the presence of methylglyoxal in the body, which react with Amadori products, forming twice the AGE products that would normally be present. Therefore, if CR results in ketosis, it will actually increase AGE formation.

How much do I eat on a calorie restrictive diet?

According to the Calorie Restriction Society, achieving 10 – 25% below your current set point weight is considered reasonable. The definition for “set point” is somewhat vague: “…that weight toward which one naturally drifts,” according to founder Roy Walford. The society has further refined that measurement to suggest that a safe CR weight to strive for is “generally considered to be your lean set-point weight: your weight during late teens to mid-20s, providing you were not overweight (e.g. obese) or underweight (e.g. anorexic) in your teenage years.”

Further, in an article from New York magazine, 30 percent of daily calories must come from protein, 30 percent from fat, and the remaining 40 percent from carbohydrates. Due to such low calories, according to Wikipedia, sufficient quantities of vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients must be eaten, and one fan of CR with a blog states that ensuring adequate nutrition through careful tracking of one’s diet is crucial: “Make sure you supplement any deficiencies. You need to track your diet with a tool to know what these are. This is not optional!” It is also advisable to talk to your doctor before beginning any sort of calorie restrictive diet.

Is a CR diet the same as CRON, CRAN, or CRL?

According to Wikipedia, to emphasize the difference between CR and mere “FR” (food restriction), CR is often referred to by other names such as CRON or CRAN (calorie restriction with optimal/adequate nutrition), or the “high-low diet” (high in all nutrients aside from calories, in which it is “low”), or the “longevity diet” (also abbreviated CRL).

In summary, based on current research, is a CR diet good for my skin?

Based on current scientific research studies, it has been established that a CR diet may reduce skin’s levels of oxygen free radicals and allergic contact dermatitis. In addition, if the CR diet does not result in ketosis (a state associated with starvation), it may prevent advanced glycation endproduct formation.

However, if the CR diet results in ketosis (a state associated with starvation), your skin will age faster.

This is because advanced glycation endproduct formation will increase, based on the 2005 study by Beisswenger.

Further, skin’s levels of sirtuins will increase, which may be beneficial in the long run, but only if they are not inhibited by moisturizers containing niacinamide, which is otherwise a spectacular skin care ingredient.

At this time, based on what I have read, I personally am following a healthy, balanced, “everything in moderation” diet, with a few extra potent antioxidant sources (green tea, vegetables) and slow-cooked meals (which form less advanced glycation endproducts). More on food that is good for your skin here!

Overall, if you are considering a calorie restrictive diet or any other kind of diet, consult your physician!

Binge Eating Disorder Help, a photo by nvwebmedia on Flickr.

Dear Nicki,

I’ve recently heard that eating after a certain time, like 6:30 PM, can hurt your metabolism and make you gain weight. I’ve also heard it doesn’t make a difference. Which is true?

-Late Night Eater

Dear Late Night Eater,

The answer is technically no – most nutritionists uphold that a calorie is a calorie, regardless of whether or not it is consumed at 11 PM or 11 AM. While it is true that metabolism slows throughout the day, falling to about 40% while asleep, keep in mind metabolic rate varies from one person to another and is affected by sex, age, and amount of lean body mass (muscle). Very obese people have much faster metabolisms than very lean people (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1982), so they technically burn calories faster.

However, there are some real concerns that can occur with eating at night, which include the following:

Do You Binge Eat Exclusively at Night?

If you binge eat at night and exhibit the following symptoms, you may have Night Eating Syndrome, or NES:

• Skip breakfast;
• Consume at least 25% of calories after dinner;
• Suffer from depression or anxiety, particularly including guilt after a bingeing episode;
• Have trouble sleeping at night/insomnia.

Late night binge eating is also associated with very unhealthy eating habits, such as high caloric intake, high sodium intake, and low protein intake (International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2008).

However, it is important to keep in mind that night eating syndrome is nothing of which to be ashamed. It is not always a matter of self-control and bad habits, but actually at times may be caused by a hormonal or chemical imbalance, as night eating syndrome has been correlated with low melatonin levels and high appetite-stimulating leptin levels (Eating Disorders and Obesity, 2005). While methods like maintaining day-night cues can help to regulate your melatonin levels somewhat, it is best to talk to your physician, as many of the symptoms of NES have been resolved with an antidepressant, such as sertraline (International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2004).

If you binge eat throughout the day, not just at night, you may suffer from Binge Eating Syndrome, not night eating syndrome. The good news is that Binge Eating Syndrome responds well to traditional weight reduction programs (International Journal of Obesity, 2002).

Self-control May Be Lower at Night

Self-control is like a muscle: The more you use it, the stronger it gets. Conversely, the more you let your self-control rest like a couch potato, the weaker it gets. Research has shown that self-control is weakened with repeated stimuli (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1998). In the study, subjects were told to try to control their mood during an emotional movie. After, it was found their physical stamina actually decreased. In another portion of the study, it was found actively trying to suppress thoughts impaired subsequent efforts to control enjoyment.

In other words, after an entire day when your willpower has gotten you to resist everything from telling your boss how you really feel to not buying yet another pair of shoes, you and your self-control are weak.

Not Tuned into Bodily Clues at Night?

In Chronobiology in 2003, it was found night workers tend to eat more. In the study, night workers were found to significantly alter their food intake, desiring cold food over hot prepared meals, and choosing food based upon habit and time availability and less by appetite than when the same workers worked the day shift. It is possible people just are not as tuned into bodily signals, such as appetite cues, at night.

Bottom Line

Eating at night does not make much of a difference in terms of the metabolic impact on calorie consumption. However, nighttime eating does matter when things like self-control and bodily appetite cues are taken into consideration. Unless you are terribly disciplined and consistent to a fault, it may not be a bad idea to restrict your last meal to no sooner than three hours before bed.

Got a question you’d like to have researched? Anything beauty-related! Ask on the FutureDerm.com Facebook page or Twitter!

If you’re a health food nut (no pun intended), almonds are probably one of your best friends. And why not – just one ounce (20-25 almonds) contain 10% of your daily allowance of fiber, 12% of your daily allowance of protein, as much calcium as 25% of a cup of milk, and 35% of your daily allowance of vitamin E. Almonds are also one of the few foods that contain the antioxidant and possible cell-preserver resveratrol (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2006). Add in the fact that they’re great for blood sugar stabilization and reduction of inflammation (Journal of Nutrition, 2006), and you’ve got yourself a superfood.

Unfortunately, almonds are also pretty easy for a lot of people to overeat. It is true most of the fat in almonds are healthy fats (62% monounsaturated omega-9 oleic acid; 24% polyunsaturated omega-6 linoleic acid; 6% saturated palmitic acid). However, one serving of almonds has about 170 calories and 15 grams of fat – so if you eat them mindlessly out of the can, it’s not hard for many people to put away 3 servings and nearly half of their daily allowance for fat each day!

They look salty, and they taste salty, but they're not high in sodium. Woo!

That’s one of the reasons I love the new Blue Diamond Bold Wasabi + Soy Sauce Almonds ($15.41 for 6 cans, Amazon.com). These babies are strong – there’s no eating over a whole serving, that’s for sure. Reserved for those who love spicy and tangy foods, these almonds pack a rich punch of flavor. They’re actually not even made with wasabi, only horseradish. The sodium content is only 115 mg per 28 almonds – not bad for a nut that tastes like it’s fresh off a sushi platter.

I’m currently eating a serving a day as a part of my modified Eat Clean Diet plan. They’re definitely satisfying and keep me full for 3 hours!

No le miran a los ojos.., originally uploaded by complejidadciclomatica.

Scarlett Johannson is often considered to be one of the world’s most attractive women, having won accolades like “Sexiest Woman Alive” by Esquire (2006) and No. 2 hottest woman alive by Maxim (2008).  Yet the current spokeswoman for Louis Vuitton and the face of the Dolce & Gabbana makeup collection admittedly keeps a down-to-earth diet.  The actress, estimated to be around 5’4″ and 115-120 pounds, argues vehemently that she would never think of losing 14 pounds for a movie:

“Claims have been made that I’ve been on a strict workout routine regulated by co-stars, whipped into shape by trainers I’ve never met, eating sprouted grains I can’t pronounce and ultimately losing 14 pounds off my 5’3″ frame,” she wrote on her blog. “I’m a petite person to begin with, so the idea of my losing this amount of weight is utter lunacy. If I were to lose 14 pounds, I’d have to part with both arms. And a foot.”

So what does Johannson eat?
“I like Burger King cheeseburger meals, because I like the toy and I love the charbroiled taste,” she says.

But before we all run out and grab Whoppers, keep in mind that Ms. Johannson is referring to Burger King kids’ meals.  The kids’ meals have the potential of being reasonably healthy and range from just 300 calories (with a Whopper Jr., no bun; side salad; and Diet Coke) up to a surprising 760 calories (Spicy CHICK’N CRISP^® Sandwich; fries; and regular Coke).  Still, when one considers a trip to Burger King normally costs about 1180 calories for a regular-size Whopper meal, Ms. Johannson has the right idea in ordering a kids’ meal.

Johannson also reports loving cheese, to an almost obsessive extent:

“My greatest vice is cheese.  Nothing else reigns over my life.”

To indulge your cheese craving reasonably, one great way is to use automatic portion control with items like The Laughing Cow Light Cheese ($5.00, Amazon.com), which is pre-packaged into 100-calorie pieces.  Another method – and my personal favorite – is to indulge in one piece of a super-rich, highly-flavored cheese, so each piece leaves you feeling more satisfied.  My regular choice is Hoffman’s Super Sharp ($4.05, Amazon.com), which has a texture somewhere between traditional cheddar and cream cheese – it’s terrific!

Johannson also enjoys Danish food, as she reports, “My dad is Danish…When I go to Copenhagen, I am really happy there, and I get really fat eating all the yummy food.”

Danish food is traditionally built off of the small self-sustainable farms that comprised most of Danish culture until industrialization occurred in the late 19th century.  As in most agrarian societies, people lived practically self-sufficiently, and made do with the food they could produce themselves, or what could be purchased locally.  The foods include pen sandwiches (Smørrebrød), meat balls (Frikadeller) and sweet pastry.  When it comes to drinking, Denmark is known for its beer and bitters.  There are a number of books available with Danish food recipes, including Æbleskiver and More: A Sampling of Danish Recipes ($7.95, Amazon.com), featuring 115 recipes.

Bottom Line

Although Johannson takes great pride in her curves and passionately denies any form of dieting, let’s face it, you can’t be 115 pounds at any height and eat only Burger King and rich Danish food at every meal!  According to the Harris Benedict calculation for caloric needs, the 26-year-old Johannson must average around 1500-1600 calories per day, provided that she is moderately active, in order to maintain her current weight.  That means one meal everyday could be 700-1000 calories, but Johannson must be balancing her other two meals around just 300-400 calories.  Even if Johannson makes it a point to exercise vigorously daily, this still only allocates a woman with her small frame another 200-400 calories!

So what can you take home from this post?  

• One, you can eat what you enjoy, but take a note from Johannson, and order kids’ meals and smaller portions when they are available.  Keep your indulgent meal to no more than 700 calories, no more than once per day.  (Better yet, limit it to once or twice a month!)  I personally love to go to Italian restaurants, and I adore fettucine alfredo.  Yet I save myself about 1000 calories every time by requesting the dish à la carte!
• Two, balance your rich indulgence with two low-calorie meals.  A great resource, Diet-blog, once provided a top-quality post featuring photos of 10 different meals of 300-400 calories; I suggest you check it out for ideas.
• Three, exercise.  Johannson claims to walk a lot and to do yoga regularly.
• Four, cut yourself some slack.  Johannson is proof you don’t need to be stick-thin to be sexy, as she says, “No one likes skin and bones.  Girls look better with some curves.”

Got a celebrity whose eating or lifestyle habits you’d love to learn?  Let FutureDerm.com know on Facebook or Twitter!

Dear Nicki,

What’s up with all the vitamin studies lately?  I heard they were associated with a higher risk of death!

-N

Dear N,

As I’ve pointed out on this blog before, what you eat is arguably just as important as what you apply to your skin.  Though some patients like to cover their nutritional bases with a multivitamin, recent reports have suggested that multivitamins may be associated with a higher risk of mortality in older women.  The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine this month, found that there was a higher risk of death associated with multivitamin use in 38772 women followed from 1986 to 2011.  However, many experts still conclude that you shouldn’t be alarmed – though there are other considerations you need to think about when popping your next vitamin.  I’ll walk you through:

1.  This study is a clear example of “scientific reductionism.”

As Dr. Robert Verkerk, Ph.D., director of the Alliance for Natural Health International (ANHI) explains, “This study is a classic example of scientific reductionism being used to fulfill a particular need…In this case, it’s supplement bashing.  Our view is that the self-reporting questionnaires, and the lack of any supporting data on the nutrient status of the study’s subjects, means that the majority of the trends resulting from the adjusted data [...] are likely to be anomalous.”

Other experts agree.  According to authors at Life Extension Magazine, the main problem is that women start taking multivitamins after they are diagnosed with a serious disease.  As they point out, in the Iowa Women’s Health Study, the authors admit they did not factor in increased intake of dietary supplements that occur in response to the development of symptoms or diagnosis of serious disease.  And as media favorite Dr. Oz points out, a multivitamin is an insurance policy against an inadequate diet in people over 55. These Iowa women consumed an average of 6.3 servings of fruits and veggies a day – more than twice the national average in the US and Canada, so maybe they didn’t need the insurance policy.

2.  More studies demonstrate multivitamins are beneficial than not.

Multivitamins were found to be associated with more full-term births and less premies, as demonstrated by a 2001 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  What’s more, it’s now well-established that vitamins containing 400 micrograms or greater of folic acid help to prevent neural tube defects, when started at least one month before pregnancy begins.

Another study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology earlier this year, examined the habits of 182,099 women in Hawaii and California.  They found no difference in overall health or mortality rates between regular multivitamin users and those who refrained – nothing like the Iowa Women’s Health Study.

3.  The real danger of vitamins?  Mislabeling.

Perhaps the only real concern regarding vitamins is that you may not be getting what you paid for.

ConsumerLab.com, an independent tester of health and nutrition products, tested 38 different multivitamins sold in the United States and Canada and found that one-third of them had too much or too little of the key ingredient, weren’t labeled properly, were contaminated or didn’t break apart properly when consumed.  For instance, the ever-popular Centrum Chewables contained 173 percent of the vitamin A that it claimed on its label, according to the report.  And expense made no difference:  many of the recommended brands cost less than 10 cents per dose, compared to some of the eliminated “elite” brands, which cost up to 50 cents per use.

In total, researchers found that eight (of thirty-eight) of the multivitamins contained less of the key ingredient than claimed, and two contained more of the key ingredient than claimed.  Another didn’t properly disintegrate, the report said.

According to ConsumerLab.com, safe vitamins include:

• Centrum Silver
• One A Day Women’s

And 11 brands to avoid, according to the Consumer Lab.com report and Health magazine:

• Eniva VIBE, a liquid sold in packets   Falls short of listed vitamin A
• Healthy Moments Mint Cream Flavor Vitamin Strips Contains no vitamin A and exceeds listed amount of niacin
• Swanson Daily Multivitamin & Mineral Short of listed folate
• The Greatest Vitamin in the World Short of listed folate
• Weil, Andrew Weil, MD, Daily Multivitamin for Optimum Health  Short of listed vitamin A and exceeds the amount of calcium
• Nature’s Plus Especially Yours Women’s Multivitamin Doesn’t disintegrate properly and exceeds listed calcium
• The Vitamin Shoppe Multivitamins Especially for Women Contaminated with 15.3 micrograms of lead per serving—10
  times amount permitted without a warning label in California—and short of listed calcium
• Now Adam Superior Men’s Multi Takes too long to disintegrate
• Win Fuel Men’s Formula Short of listed vitamin A and folate
• AARP Maturity Formula Takes too long to disintegrate
• Hero Nutritionals Yummi Bears Contains twice as much vitamin A as listed

Bottom Line

I’m sticking with my current vitamin regimen, which is actually in the GNC Women’s Be Wholesome Vitapak.  It’s six pills a day, and they don’t taste great going down, but it includes an accepted multivitamin, fish oil, calcium + vitamin D supplement, and biotin for hair and nails.  It’s convenient.  And if you’re interested, here are the supplement regimens recommended by some renowned physicians + health experts:

Dr. Oz

• 1. A multivitamin without iron and with only a low dose of vitamin A (less than 3500 IU a day) and low amounts of vitamin E (as mixed tocopherols, about 30 IU). I split my multivitamin in half, and take one half in the morning and one half at night.
• 2. 1200 IU of vitamin D3 a day
• 3. DHA (900 mg) and lutein (20 mg)
• 4. A probiotic
• 5. A little extra calcium (600 mg) (with magnesium 300 mg)
• 6. Two baby aspirins with plenty of water

Dr. Leslie Baumann, M.D., dermatologist and author of The Skin Type Solution

• Coenzyme Q10
• Antioxidants
• Fish oil
• Polypodium leucotomos (Heliocare)

Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

• 1500-3000 vitamin D

Hope this helps someone out there!  :-)  Let me know your thoughts in Comments!

For the longest time, when it was time to go to the grocery store, I took pride in selecting mostly low-fat or reduced-calorie foods. After all, dietary fats are slow to burn off. Why eat an Oreo with 3.5 grams of fat when you can have a reduced-fat Oreo with 2.25 grams? It was simple, the most logical thing.Except when you discover the secret about low-fat, reduced-calorie foods: They have more carbohydrates and sugar. Seriously. Look at the Oreos: There are 2g more carbohydrates per three-cookie serving in the Reduced Fat variety.

Oreo Original Nutrition Facts

Reduced Fat Oreo Nutrition Facts

Our bodies evolved to crave naturally fatty foods, such as beef, fish, and dairy products, not only because these foods are typically filled with vitamins, minerals, and proteins, but also because they are rich in flavor. The problem with getting the fix from low-fat, reduced-calorie foods is two-fold: 1.) Blood sugar is going to spike and crash even more than with full-fat foods. 2.) With less naturally-occurring proteins than in full-fat varieties, it takes longer for your brain to register satiety signals so you stop eating. So, essentially, you’re setting yourself up for heightened hunger and greater energy pitfalls when you decide to purchase low-fat, reduced-calorie snacks. Best to exercise a little self-control and savor less of the full-fat variety!

Photo source: Oreos — 9/12/09, a photo by NCReedplayer on Flickr.

As a follow-up to the popular How to Lose Weight: 6 Methods You Haven’t Tried post, I started looking for even more unusual ways to lose weight. Granted, these are all small changes, but each have one thing in common: They will make you more cognizant of when and what you are eating, and heightened awareness means weight loss. Here are five unusual methods I’ve found:

1. Make mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes.

Although skinned potatoes only have 57 calories per cup, cauliflower has just 28 (CalorieCount.com). Still, there’s a better reason than 30 calories: Cauliflower has a much lower glycemic index than potatoes, keeping blood sugar more stable and you feeling fuller for longer. Plus, mashed cauliflower is super delicious and hard to tell from mashed potatoes! Simply steam some fresh or frozen cauliflower in the microwave. Then spray the cauliflower with butter substitute, add a little nonfat half-and-half substitute, and puree in a food processor or blender. Still craving that sour cream sensation? Try yogurt!

2. Use a bigger fork.

A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research shows that restaurant-goers who eat with forks that are 20% bigger than a normal fork eat less food. There are a few explanations for this. Discomfort, for one, could make you more inclined to subconsciously weigh the benefits of eating versus the detriments of holding such a heavy utensil for so long. Another possible explanation? When people use small forks to eat, they feel like they are not making much progress in their meal (Time).

3. Eat using the wrong hand.

Research published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin shows that eating with your non-dominant hand decreases food consumption. There are many proposed reasons for this, but I again think it comes down to making yourself aware that you are eating. The more obstacles you place between yourself and eating, the less inclined you are to continue when you are full.

4. Eat your food over a blue placemat.

Color psychologists state that if people were to prepare and eat their meals on blue plates, or keep a blue light in their fridge, they would lose their appetite. According to writer Abby Willow of Yahoo!, blue is just plain a color of danger, way back to the days of our ancestors, and visualizing the color blue today just doesn’t bring up any food at all. Not eating at home? Close your eyes briefly and visualize the color blue!

5. Substitute as many high-glycemic index foods with low-glycemic index (GI) foods as possible.

A quick rule of thumb: The more processed the food, the higher its GI; the higher a food’s fiber content, the lower its GI. So choose foods with less processing and high fiber, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Still lost? Consult a glycemic index table; I recommend the one from SouthBeach Diet Plan.com.

Bottom Line

Don’t let yourself fall victim to mindless eating. Use a blue placemat, heavy utensils, and eat using the wrong hand. And if you are truly hungry, make yourself full on as few calories as possible by selecting low-glycemic index foods – that is, those that have little or no processing and are high in fiber.

Got a fitness tip? Tell all in Comments!

Photo source: World’s Biggest Fork 2, a photo by Marshall Astor – Food Pornographer on Flickr.