Use Smaller Plates

Seems too simple.

But we are simple people. We underestimate how much influence a mundane thing as the size of our plates can have on how much food we eat. 

In one study, Nutritional Science Professors and Ph.D. students attended an ice cream social. The guest were given either a 17 ounce bowl or a 34 ounce bowl for their ice cream. Now these are the people that study nutrition for a living. At the end of the ice cream line each bowl was weighed. Those who had the 34 ounce bowl scooped out 31% more ice cream than the 17 ounce bowl participants.

The study also used big and smaller scoopers for the ice cream. They showed that the combination of bigger bowl and bigger scooper resulted in 57% more ice cream being scooped than the smaller bowl and smaller scooper.

Remember these people spend their days writing academic papers on nutrition! If they can be so fooled what chance do the rest of us have?

Mindless Eating is a great resource for further reading.