WEEKniGHt DinnErs

2Use clear

containers to consume more good-foryou foods

See-through packaging means you’re much more likely to eat what’s inside, says Brian Wansink, PhD, director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab and author of Slim by Design. His research found that people who wrapped healthy leftovers in plastic wrap were more likely to eat them than those who used foil. On the fip side, women ate 2.2 more pieces of candy a day out of a clear bowl than an opaque one.

heaRt

healthy

3

Move hearthealthy oils into a cabinet

Keeping regular and extra-virgin olive oil out on the counter exposes them to light and heat, says Elizabeth J. Johnson, PhD, a scientist at the Tufts University Antioxidants Research Laboratory. This can destroy its polyphenols, the antioxidant compounds that may help prevent cancer and heart disease. Another food with the same compounds? Dark chocolate. Put the sweet stuf in the fridge rather than a drawer to preserve the ingredients.

4

Replace your scratched nonstick pan to cut calories

Food can adhere to the pan if too much of the coating has worn away, which means you’ll need to use more fats for cooking. Cast iron, on the other hand, can be used for almost everything—and requires just a drizzle of oil (or none at all). Bonus: Cast iron actually releases iron, a mineral that helps carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body, into food, according to Dennis Miller, PhD, a professor of food chemistry and nutrition at Cornell University. 7 Keep spices

nutrient-rich

Just because it’s in the pantry doesn’t mean it lasts forever. “Spices have compounds that evaporate over time and lose some nutrient value,” says Bharat Aggarwal, PhD, professor of cancer medicine at the MD Anderson Cancer Center and author of Healing Spices. Certain ones last longer than others, but if the color is faded and the smell is weak (or the expiration date has passed), replace. Whole spices—think nutmeg and cinnamon sticks—keep longer, and you can grind as needed.

5Stash extra-large dishes to avoid

going overboard with portions

Stow jumbo tumblers, dinner plates and pasta bowls in an inconvenient place (like the top cabinet shelf) and move smaller dishes, like appetizer plates and juice glasses, within easy reach. Why? A study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that diners who piled their food onto large plates ate 45% more than those who used smaller ones. And plates aren’t the only problem: “Your drinking glasses should hold about 8 ounces of liquid, but many hold 16 or more,” says Gans. That’s good if you’re only drinking water, but for other beverages, the large size can result in excess empty calories.

6Designate a paper bin so you

can quit mindless snacking

When subjects in a Cornell University study were in a kitchen strewn with mail and other papers, they ate 44% more snack food than they did when the kitchen was organized. “If your environment is out of control, you may feel that you don’t need to be in control of your eating either,” says Dr. Wansink. Cardboard counts too: Research found that women who kept one box (or more) of cereal on the counter weighed 21 pounds more, on average, than those who put it in the cupboard.

office supplies that do more!

Consolidate your tea bags into an 8½ x 11-in.

Seeing the bags will remind you to drink more of the antioxidant-flled beverage.

Label leftover containers with

before you pop them into the fridge or freezer. (Clearly ID’ing leftovers means you’re more likely to choose them over takeout in a pinch.)

into a mini hamper for canvas shopping bags, which should be washed between uses to keep bacteria at bay.

clear plastic envelope.

masking tape

Turn a mesh wastebasket