9 tips for improving your eating patterns

If you're overeating you may notice an increase in size and maybe even health problems. By making small changes in the way you eat, you may be able improve your eating habits while feeling satiated throughout the day. Here are some tips to improve your eating habits.

• Don't let more than three hours pass between your meals and snacks.
• Eating regularly keeps you from becoming ravenous or experiencing the effects of low blood sugar: Feeling lightheaded and low on energy.
• Moderate-size meals and snacks can also help you avoid overeating because it's comforting to know that there's another chance to eat coming soon.

• To help slow your eating, force yourself to put down your fork after every bite and do not pick it up until you've swallowed what you've just put in your mouth.

• This Okinawan eating practice translates to "80 percent" and means that traditional Okinawans stop eating when they're 80 percent full.
• This is a great way to avoid overeating because it gives your brain time to notice what's in your tummy and send an "I'm full" signal.
• Instead of reaching for seconds, put your fork down and clear the table as soon as you feel the first slight twinges of fullness. (Return to the table for more conversation or take cups of tea into the living room with your dining companions to extend the pleasure of your meal.)

• In recent years, many dinnerware manufacturers have increased the size of the plates and bowls they sell to keep pace with the larger portions to which we've grown accustomed.
• If you tend to overeat, serve meals on salad plates instead of dinner plates.

• The first meal of the day revs up your metabolism and fills your belly with the fuel you need for energy.
• A good breakfast prevents excessive eating later in the day.
• If you're not a natural breakfast lover, wait an hour after you wake up. Or try an unconventional meal, such as a sandwich or bowl of soup.

• In traditional European societies, the midday meal is the largest.
• Not only do people take time to linger together over the food, but they also eat more of it than they do at dinner — giving their bodies more time for digestion and more fuel for the rest of the day.
• Eating a bigger lunch can also help you avoid the late-afternoon slump that can lead to overeating and to poor food choices such as sweets and snack foods.

• Allow yourself second helpings of only fruit and vegetables, not of grains, fats or meats.

• You're more likely to eat high-fat, high-calorie, highly processed foods away from home than in your own kitchen or dining room. And you'll avoid the temptation of large restaurant portions, too.

• Set aside at least a half hour to eat each meal of the day.
• Make the food last for that whole length of time by eating slowly and stopping frequently to enjoy the conversation of your companions, the view out the window, or the music on the radio.
• This slow-eating strategy gives your brain the opportunity to notice how much you've already eaten and send a signal that you're done.