The possible tools that those hoping to achieve a healthier diet have at their disposal go beyond losing the tray, of course. Dr. Beverly Green of the Center for Health Studies in Seattle says the concept of volumetrics — ensuring that foods that are consumed have a high water content — may help people feel full while keeping actual caloric intake to a minimum.
Heidi Skolnik, nutritionist at The Women's Sports Medicine Center at Hospital for Special Surgery in New Jersey, notes that there are a number of other such strategies as well. She says that some of these habits can be adopted at the dinner table, such as cutting food into smaller pieces and taking sips of water in between bites.
But other tricks — such as moving away from the table when finished, maintaining only a passing familiarity with snack trays at parties and scanning the offerings in the buffet line before selecting any dishes — allow for a more mindful approach when it comes to enjoying food.
Such an approach has proven helpful for many, notes Dr. David Katz, director and co-founder of the Yale Prevention Research Center.
"There is a whole movement devoted to 'mindful' eating, based on the notion that less food is eaten when the food you do eat gets more attention," he said. "The goal here is to phase out inattentive eating."
"And of course, 'gimmicks,' such as Weight Watchers points are all about creating mindful, or attentive, eating."
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