Wellness

The Liver Is Very Important

This is about detoxing the body’s largest gland, the liver. Without a liver, a person cannot survive. It has a number of functions including, but not limited to:

Detoxifying the blood to rid it of harmful substances (like toxins, drugs, alcohol, and more)

Stores vitamins and iron

Converts stored sugar to usable sugar when the body’s sugar levels fall below normal

Produces bile, a substance needed to digest fats

Breaks down hemoglobin as well as insulin and other hormones

Destroys old red blood cells

The liver performs so many vital functions, and as a result it is very prone to disease.

Lemons

Lemons love your liver and your liver loves them right back! Lemons are a natural cleansing food and essentially one of the best to “get things going” in all areas of your body. Lemons provide a wealth of antioxidants, primarily Vitamin C, and they help your liver produce more enzymes which give you more energy and help with digestion.

WALNUTS

The high amount of the amino acid l-arginine in walnuts aids the liver in detoxifying ammonia. Moreover, walnuts contain glutathione and omega-3 fatty acids, which aid the natural liver-cleansing process.

According to a 2008 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, walnut polyphenols prevent liver damage induced by carbon tetrachloride and d-galactosamine.

Munch on a handful of walnuts as a snack daily.

Tomatoes: They have abundant amounts of Glutathione  which again, are a great detoxifier for the liver. As a side effect, Lycopene in tomatoes will protect against breast, skin, and lung cancer

Garlic

Garlic is rich in allicin and selenium two powerhouse nutrients for your liver .They act in cleansing and in nourishing the entire body, especially the blood. Selenium is a naturally detoxifying mineral and allicin helps ward off immune system invaders, which helps lighten the load on your liver. Garlic also activates enzymes in the liver which help with overall digestion and flushing out toxins.

Onions

Like garlic, onions are also rich in allicin that flush out the liver and the digestive tract. They’re also packed with potassium, fiber, phytonutrients, and flavonoids that help the body detox the chemicals

Turmeric: Turmeric is the liver’s favorite spice and helps boost liver detox. It does this by assisting enzymes that actively flush out dietary carcinogens.

Apples: They are high in pectin and other chemicals essential to cleansing and releasing toxins from the digestive tract. Apples make it easier for the liver to handle the toxic load during the cleansing process.

Beets and Carrots: Carrots are rich in Glutathione, a protein that helps detoxify the liver. Both are extremely high in plant-flavonoids and beta-carotene. Eating beets and carrots can help stimulate and improve overall liver function.

Leafy Green Vegetables: Green veggies are extremely high in plant chlorophylls that absorb environmental toxins, increase bile production, and neutralize heavy metals, chemicals, and pesticides, which lowers the burden on the liver.

Lentils

Speaking of lentils, your liver loves them too! Lentils are rich in fiber, which assists with the cleansing process and they’re also a natural source of plant-based protein. Too much protein is not recommended since it can be hard on the liver . Lentils provide just enough protein to support your body without causing any harm. They’re also some of the easiest legumes to digest, which will help your body use them better for nutrient distribution.

Healthy Fats Healthy fats are important to any diet, plant-based or not, but too much is never a good thing when it comes to fats. Your liver needs fat for proper function, but too much can cause problems with bile production, which will affect the digestion of fats and possibly other issues of digestion. Healthy fats that are beneficial for your liver include: Ghee ,avocados, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and almonds, along with olives, coconut, chia seeds, and flax seeds.

You’re sitting in traffic, late for an important meeting, watching the minutes tick away. Your hypothalamus, a tiny control tower in your brain, decides to send out the order: Send in the stress hormones! These stress hormones are the same ones that trigger your body’s “fight or flight” response. Your heart races, your breath quickens, and your muscles ready for action. This response was designed to protect your body in an emergency by preparing you to react quickly. But when the stress response keeps firing, day after day, it could put your health at serious risk.

If like increases like, opposites balance, and the stress response is unequivocally reducing, lightening, and catabolic in nature, then the antidote to excess stress is to offer our systems an abundance of the entire group of building, nourishing qualities—through our diets, our lifestyle, our practices, our relationships—basically, anywhere that we can get them. This means welcoming influences that are heavy, grounding, slow, unctuous, nourishing, soft, and stabilizing, while doing our best to minimize the influence of their opposites. At its core, the Ayurvedic approach to balancing excess stress is really that simple.

The rest of this article focuses on how exactly to invite these qualities into our lives in a supportive way. But it also explores how to release accumulated stress and tension from the mind and tissues in order to help promote a more easeful relationship with life. In the following paragraphs, you will find five simple steps to mitigating the effects of excess stress in your life.

1. Slow Down

One of the most important first steps in balancing stress is to slow down. However, when we’re accustomed to living a fast-paced, busy life, slowing down can feel utterly impossible. It is not. It is, for whatever reason, very challenging—and often frightening. For those of us who can muster the courage to begin to invite a slower, more balanced way of being into our daily routine—one gentle step at a time—the rewards are often felt quite immediately.⁹ Then, with time, the positive changes reinforce our intentions and can encourage us to slow down a bit more, and then a bit more, and later even more. But how to begin? That is truly the crux of the entire endeavor. One of the best ways to slow the pace of our lives is through devoted and purposeful self-care: taking time every single day to be still, quiet, and immersed in self-nourishment. It is so important, in fact, that it is the next step in returning to balance.

2. Indulge in Quality Self-Care

Purposeful and committed self-care can be a beautiful part of the healing process, and a meaningful opportunity to practice self-love. Each day, regardless of what else might be going on in our lives, a devoted practice of self-care reaffirms a deep commitment to Self, to wellness, and to vibrant health. Choosing to prioritize things like adequate rest and other nourishing practices can help us stay centered as we navigate the turbulence of the world around us.

In truth, there are countless ways to nurture and care for ourselves. Those that impart a sense of grounding, relaxation, warmth, unctuousness, and stability will be best for balancing excess stress, but it is important that you follow your intuition; you know you best. Below, we have outlined a number of different possibilities. The list is by no means all-inclusive, but it is meant to provide a number of choices to spark the interest of diverse individuals. Trust what most appeals to you. And remember, it is usually best to choose just one or two new practices to start with. You can always add more as and when you feel inspired to do so.

Take a Bath

A bath relaxes the nervous system, releases tension, and helps to quiet the mind. If you like, you can add ⅓ cup Ginger powder and ⅓ cup baking soda to the water or even Epsom salt bath  for increased relaxation and healing. This combination encourages circulation, sweating, and detoxification, but it is also quite soothing, making it very supportive when stress is elevated.

Practice Oil Pulling

Swishing and gargling with warm, untoasted sesame oil or coconut oil helps to remove tension from the jaw, improves the sense of taste, and removes natural toxins from the mouth, teeth, and gums. Begin by sipping a tablespoon of organic oil  Swish the oil from side to side, front to back, and through the teeth for up to twenty minutes. Spit out the oil and rinse with warm water.

Do Abhyanga (Ayurvedic Oil Massage)

This ancient practice of self-massage with oil calms the nervous system, lubricates and rejuvenates the tissues, and promotes healthy circulation throughout the body. It is no coincidence that the  abhyanga is a profound practice of rejuvenation and loving self-care that benefits both the physical body and the more subtle realms of consciousness. In addition, the oil itself forms a protective sheath around the body that can help to buffer the nervous system against stress. Each morning, before a shower or bath, massage about ¼–½ cup warm organic oil into the skin..

Practice Nasya

Nasya  is the practice of applying medicated oil to the nasal passages. It soothes these delicate tissues, promotes unobstructed breathing, relieves accumulated stress, and supports mental clarity. Nasya should not be performed by pregnant or menstruating women. Each morning, apply three to five drops of oil into each nostril. If you are new to the practice of nasya, please see a practising yoga therapist .

Massage Your Feet Before Bed

Before bed, apply some warm shudh desi ghee or coconut oil to your feet. Or if you prefer, use plain Sesame Oil, Brahmi Oil, or Bhringaraj Oil. This practice grounds the energy, soothes the nervous system, reduces stress, quiets the mind, and promotes sound sleep. Remember that sleep is one of the body’s most essential avenues of rejuvenation. Be sure to wear some old socks to bed to protect your sheets.

Sit in Nature or by the sea

Often, simply exposing our nervous systems to the natural world—to its sights, sounds, smells, textures, and rhythms—is enough to activate the “rest and digest” capacity within the parasympathetic nervous system, which governs periods of relaxation. Consider a gentle walk, sitting by a stream or sea , taking in a gorgeous view, or simply surrendering your body to the surface of earth for a while. If the idea of taking time to connect with nature speaks to you, this practice is probably worth pursuing.

Read an Uplifting or Inspiring Book

A good, inspirational read can go a long way toward signaling the entire system to relax and rejuvenate a bit.

Lie on the Couch for a While

As a culture, we tend to expect productivity, and many of us experience tremendous guilt around being “unproductive.” But when we’re exhausted, stressed out, and tending toward hyper-vigilance, there is nothing more soothing than simply taking a good long break—maybe even a rejuvenating afternoon nap.

Foster Supportive, Loving Relationships

Our systems often also find great refuge in a good laugh, a loving connection, a reassuring hug, a sympathetic ear, and other encouraging relational signs that we are, indeed, supported. If you have terrific friends, close family members, or beloved pets who can nurture you in this way, consider carving out some time for a meaningful connection with your tribe.

Get Balanced and Adequate Rest

Sleep is an important antidote to excess stress. It has considerable restorative functions and plays a critical role in the repair and rejuvenation of tissues (both in the brain and throughout the body), but it also allows for the more efficient removal of metabolic wastes and natural toxins. If sleep is an area that you struggle with—whether you get too much sleep or too little—try following the routine. Try to go to bed and get up at about the same times each day, and aim to sleep for at least six – eight hours each night. When we’re recovering from excess stress, our bodies often need significantly more rest. In other words, at least for a while, it might be completely appropriate to indulge in more than eight hours of sleep each night.

3. Commit to a Daily Routine

Ancient texts and Ayurveda  recommends a daily routine for everyone, but it is particularly essential when we are trying to balance excess stress. Our physiology is very much adapted to—and supported by—some sense of regularity. Actually, it is amazing how impactful a few adjustments to our routines can be. Think about the natural world and how prevalent routines are; most plants and animals are profoundly attuned to the cycles of day and night, the seasons, and other patterns that direct the broader community of life. By contrast, the human experience seems increasingly disconnected from these natural rhythms. Adopting even a modest sense of routine gives our nervous systems a number of comforting and reassuring reference points throughout each day. These touchstones send a resounding message to the deep tissues of the body that all is well, that we can be at ease. Over time, a context of predictability and safety allows the nervous system to relax, and a profound rejuvenation process can begin.

There are some very simple first steps to establishing a daily routine—things like waking, eating meals, going to bed at about the same times each day, and if possible, maintaining a consistent work or activity schedule. These steps alone can have a profound effect on the nervous system. Including self-care or mindfulness practices in your daily routine will provide an even deeper level of support.

 Exercise and its benefits

When engaged appropriately, exercise can be a panacea for improved health. While exercise itself may not be terribly building or nourishing, it supports the body’s natural mechanisms of rejuvenation—things like sound sleep, the ability to relax, and a balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Proper exercise helps to release accumulated tension, move stagnant mental and emotional energy, and improve circulation. It also kindles agni (the metabolic fire, which is essential to optimal health), improves digestion, bolsters the body’s detoxification mechanisms, and encourages proper elimination, relaxation, and sound sleep—all of which help to counter the effects of excess stress.

If you are not currently exercising regularly, keep in mind that a supportive exercise program does not have to be complex or time-intensive. A daily twenty-minute walk can do wonders for the entire system—body, mind, and spirit.

4. Quiet the Mind-Body Organism

Chronic stress tends to ramp up the sympathetic nervous system so that our bodies react to even benign situations as if they were profoundly threatening. Ayurveda recommends a number of subtle therapies like pranayama, yoga, and meditation as an effective means of breaking this cycle, resetting the nervous system, and cultivating a healthier physiological response to stress. A number of Ayurvedic herbs also foster health in the mind and the nervous system and can be incredibly supportive. While we cannot live a life completely free of potentially stressful situations, we can certainly change our capacity to cope with them. This step is about calming the nervous system while celebrating and activating the human capacity to re-pattern the mind and re-organize the physiology. The following therapeutic strategies do both—each in their own unique way. They help us to digest and release accumulated tension and stagnant mental, emotional, and physical ama (toxins), but simultaneously encourage fluidity and ease throughout our bodies—both physically and energetically. Follow your inspiration in terms of where to start.

Pranayama

Prana, the vital breath, is the subtle essence of the life-force that animates each of us. It infuses every cell and tissue throughout our bodies and is carried on and stimulated by the breath. Imbibing prana helps to restore fluidity and vitality to the subtle energy channels of the body while digesting and eliminating stagnation and ama (toxins). One of the best ways to bathe our tissues in fresh prana is to practice pranayama (yogic breathing exercises). The practice of Nadi Shodhana is especially effective at clearing accumulated tension, relieving stress, and supporting an improved mental disposition in the face of everyday stressors.

Yoga

Yoga moves prana in the body, helps to dissipate tension, clears stagnation, and encourages fluidity, both in the tissues as well as in the mental and emotional spheres. Ayurveda offers a nuanced approach to yoga that specifically helps to balance whichever doshas need the most attention in your system.

Meditation

Imagine if we could consistently witness the stressors in our lives with detachment and clarity, focusing on purposefully responding to them rather than blindly reacting to them. Meditation helps us to develop this capacity through the cultivation of passive awareness, and can inform a far healthier response to stressful situations. Over time, a daily meditation practice can truly re-pattern the brain, helping to re-wire our response to challenging circumstances. If you do not have an established practice, Empty Bowl Meditation is a wonderful place to start.

Changing Your Relationship with Stress

Studies have shown that how we feel about the stress in our lives affects its impact on our physiology. If we view stress as a harmful influence, it generally is. If however, we view stress as an adaptive response to a difficult situation, its negative impacts are dramatically reduced. The stress response is an age-old mechanism for ensuring that we’re up to the task at hand. If we can simply acknowledge the intelligence behind it, and learn to relate to the hormonal cascade with a sense of gratitude and awe, we can actually minimize the harmful impacts of stress before they begin. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t also be working to reduce our exposure to stress in more general terms, but there is something to be said for befriending the utter intelligence and wonder of our instinct for self-preservation.

5. Eat a Supportive Diet

Committing to eating a balanced diet does not have to be an overwhelming or taxing endeavor. In fact, when we’re dealing with chronic stress, our lives are often rather complicated, and our systems generally respond better to solutions that are comparatively simple. The diet needs to be a wholesome source of nourishment and grounding. It is probably best to focus on emphasizing healthy, whole foods, and minimizing processed foods, stimulants, and refined sugars (which we often reach for when time is short and our bodies are craving nourishment). If you don’t have a lot of time to cook your own meals, soups, other simple, grounding foods are usually good choices. Or, choose prepared foods that are aligned with the healthy, whole food model.

Trust Your Own Process

We recognize that there is a lot to work with in the preceding paragraphs. As you prepare to ground, nourish, and rejuvenate, please keep in mind that listening to yourself as you engage in this process is as important as each of the steps above. A slow, simple, gradual approach to change is far more likely to be supportive than an overly effortful attempt at perfection. Remember, the stress response floods our bodies with activating, energizing qualities that are light, sharp, hot, dry, mobile, and subtle by nature. Balance is therefore supported by quieter, more nurturing qualities that are naturally heavy (or grounding), slow, cool, oily, and stabilizing. Your process of embracing change should also feel nourishing and stabilizing—delicious, even. Go slowly. Be intentional. And more than anything else, listen to your deepest inner knowing, honoring where you are at each moment along the way. We hope that we can continue to support you on your journey toward a life of balance and vibrant health.

Inflammation is the word on everyone’s wellness radar. It’s the new mystery symptom that seems like everyone is experiencing. Inflammation is associated with a host of health conditions including cancer, heart disease, asthma, dermatitis and arthritis. Recently, many more studies have come out with a surprising link to conditions like severe depression (due to inflammation in the brain) and even fibromyalgia and autoimmune diseases.

It leaves you to wonder: Is inflammation the common denominator of every disease?

All indications point to yes.

From cancer to the common cold, inflammation is the constant throughout all illnesses and diseases.

In Ayurveda, the goal is to find the underlying source of a symptom and not only to treat the symptom itself. Inflammation can be due to any number of triggers from stress and trauma, the quality and choice of foods we eat, water intake, lifestyle and emotional state as well as sleep and exercise routine.

Simply put, every choice we make, everything we do, is either inflammatory or anti-inflammatory.

Inflammation is a very important signal, red flagging us to pay attention. If you notice inflammation in your body, here are some ways to reduce it.           

Know your stressors. Toxic relationships, stress from work and even violent movies and T.V. shows can all release stress hormones, leading to inflammation. When you know exactly what stresses you out, you will know what needs to be changed or what preventative measures to take.

Whether it’s meditation, setting intentions, qigoing, pranayama and breath centered awareness or simply detachment, there are ways to be better prepared to face challenges and avoid drama.

Change your perspective on stress. We all know that putting physical stress on the body (i.e. exercise, lifting weights and working out) leads to a healthier body and stronger muscles. The same can be true about intangible stress.

That is what separates successful people from unsuccessful people.

One person takes the struggle and stress and makes it their internal “weights” to get stronger, using it as motivation. The other mentally and emotionally feels it too much to bare and perceives it as the cause of their demise.

Know that a simple change in perception can reduce inflammation.

Cut the crap. And by crap I mean dead, crap foods. Sugar, white flour, starch, processed foods, meat, dairy and GMO foods have all been shown to cause inflammation. Eat to thrive.

Only eat food that is also medicine. If a food doesn’t boost wellness or has no nutritional value, stay clear. We’re looking for a variety of living, plant-based foods, preferably in a variety of different colors, local and in season, because your body is a part of nature and foods naturally harvest with the proper fats, nutrients and water content during seasonal changes to align with our body’s needs. If the food is high in phytonutrients, healing compounds, anti-inflammatory agents, vitamins and minerals, you’re probably in the ‘green’.

Get awe inspired. Recent studies show that being awe inspired by experiencing the great outdoors, reveling in art and even aspects of spirituality are anti-inflammatory. Researchers found that positive emotions associated with experiencing these wonders are linked to lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (proteins that signal the immune system to work harder). Nature heals, so look no further than life’s beautiful creations to reduce inflammation.

Try meditation. Meditation reduces the expression of genes involved in the inflammatory process. Find a meditation or mindfulness practice that works for you and stick to it. Deepak Chopra put it simply when he said this about meditation, “ If you’re doing it, you’re doing it right.”

Enjoy an oil massage. Everyone loves a good massage! Receiving therapeutic massage is known to decrease inflammation amongst so many other health benefits. Just make sure the oil being used is organic and good enough to eat because your skin is absorbing the oils through the skin

Inflammation is like salt. A pinch is a good thing, but get a tad too much and it ruins everything. Acute inflammation, your body’s response to a cut or pathogens entering the body, protects your body from harm. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, has been linked to everything from acne and allergies, to intestinal issues, neurological disorders, autoimmune diseases, and joint pain

Soy

Beans in general are great sources of anti-inflammatory botanical compounds known as phytonutrients, but soy has been singled out by researchers for its ability to reduce the inflammation marker C-reactive protein. This is great news for your heart—high levels of C-reactive protein have been linked to coronary artery disease. Another bean benefit: the protein-rich, satisfying legumes are good candidates to displace pro-inflammatory meat in meals.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes, especially the purple variety, can help heal inflammation in the body. A 2011 study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food reports that sweet potatoes have anti-inflammatory potential due to their concentration of nutrients.Their high content of vitamins C and E and the carotenoids alpha- and beta-carotene help reduce pain and inflammation in the body . Regular intake of sweet potatoes can help reduce inflammation in the brain and nerve tissue throughout the body.

Spinach

This dark leafy green vegetable can also greatly help prevent as well as reduce inflammation. Spinach has plenty of carotenoids that work as inflammation-reducing antioxidants, and vitamin E. These components help protect the body from pro-inflammatory molecules called cytokines.

In addition, spinach is a good plant source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) that works as a potent anti-inflammatory agent to reduce pain and inflammation. Spinach can help reduce asthmatic inflammation, arthritis pain and migraine headaches.

You can enjoy this green vegetable in the form of a salad, vegetable juice or a green smoothie. Also, spinach can be added to soups, side dishes or omelets.

Tulsi/Basil

Don’t ignore your spice cabinet when whipping up a healthy meal. “Many herbs and spices are rich in antioxidant phytonutrients . Just chewing 4-5 tulsi leaves a day will not only freshen your mouth but help strengthen your immunity .

Tea

You can even battle inflammation between meals by sipping on green, white, and black teas. They’re steeped in free radical-fighting catechins, a polyphenolic compound found in the leaves of the Camellia sinesis plant. The more antioxidants you’re taking in, the better. “It’s best to adopt a diet rich in foods that are anti-inflammatory instead of concentrating on one or two superfoods

Walnuts

Another good inflammation-fighting healthy food is walnuts. They are high in ALA, a type of omega-3 fatty acid that reduces inflammation in the body.

A 2004 study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that people who ate at least 2.3 ounces of walnuts daily had reduced levels of inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP). High CRP indicates a high risk of suffering from heart disease due to inflammation.

Ginger

Ginger
This spicy root has gained a following for its nausea-calming powers, but it has another trick up its sleeve—inflammation crushing. Studies have linked the root to lowered post-exercise inflammation and a drop in joint pain caused by the chronic inflammatory conditions osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. While researchers haven’t pinpointed its anti-inflammatory effects to a single component, it’s likely one of the culprits is the plant’s active compound gingerol

For most of us, portion control can be a little tricky and feel a little boring. And although it may not be much fun, in order to to eat healthier and especially to lose weight, portion control is key. Multiple studies have shown how mindlessly piling up your plate can lead to consuming more calories, ignoring those “I’m full” signals from your brain and eventually piling on pounds.

Not minding your portions,”is what does us in.”

But there’s good news. You don’t have to weigh and measure every bite—or even compare the size of your plate  to a deck of cards every time you sit down to eat. The practical tips that follow can help you get a handle on your portions, manage your weight and even enjoy your meals more.

1. Understand serving sizes. A serving size is what’s listed on a package; a portion size is what you decide to put on your plate. But many serving sizes are based on standards set back in 1993, based on how people ate in the 1970s and 80s, so they don’t always reflect how much we eat today. For example, a current serving size of ice cream is half a cup, even though most people today eat a cup or more at one time. To fix the discrepancy, the FDA is requiring that manufacturers update  their serving sizes for certain foods by 2018, so you’ll have a more realistic idea of what a healthy serving is

2. Measure once. You don’t need to carry around a measuring cup and kitchen scale. But it does help to measure servings once or twice, so you can see the proper amount and remember it. Learn where 1 cup of cereal falls in your favorite bowl or what exactly 30 grams of rice   looks like. More often than not, we are eating more than we thought, and that’s especially true for beverages. “A 500ml  bottle of soda has more than two 8-ounce servings,” she says. “That’s a very quick way to add up calories.”

3. Downsize your dishes. It’s a tried-and-true trick: switch out your dinner plates for salad plates and you’ll eat smaller portions. Color matters, too—one study from Cornell University found that serving food on high-contrasting plates can help you eat less, while using plates of the same color (think mashed potatoes on white china) can lead to eating more. Check your utensils, too—try a smaller spoon for ice cream, or use chopsticks for noodles to take smaller, slower bites. “Anything that slows you down is a great way to not overeat.

4. Make mini versions of your favorite foods. Baking your favorite treat in your muffin tin is an automatic way to control portions. Your foods come out in perfect single serve portions.

5. Stop eating out of the bag. “That’s a disaster waiting to happen!” . It’s just too easy to eat more than you intended. Rather than wolfing down that whole bag of chips , dump a small handful onto your plate or in a small sandwich bag. It’s helpful to see how much you’re eating—and once you’ve resealed the bag you’re less likely to go back for more. “Enjoy your snack, and when it’s gone, it’s gone,”  Same goes for dinnertime. Rather than setting dinner out on the table family-style, try plating everyone’s food at the stove. You’ll control portions from the start, and remove the temptation to keep reaching for seconds.

6. Order not just what you want, but how you want it. Restaurants are notorious for super-sized servings, but you don’t have to go along with it. Pass up the bread basket altogether—or when it arrives, give everyone a slice and then hand the basket back to the server. That extra-creamy salad dressing? Order it on the side, and dip your fork in it with every bite of greens. When you order your main dish or dessert, ask for half of it in a take-home container.

7. Go for slow foods. Some foods come with natural speed bumps: pistachios in their shells, fresh cherries with pits. Choosing foods like these forces you to slow down and eat less. Another plus: the pile of shells or pits on your plate will remind you of how much you’ve already had. Or, choose foods with their own portion limits: apples, bananas and oranges all come in single-serve “packages.”

8. Watch the booze. “This where people rack up a ton of calories” . The National  Dietary Guidelines advise up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men, but eyeballing the specific recommended amounts can be tricky. An easy fix: pour 5 ounces of wine (or 12 ounces of beer, or 1.5 ounces of liquor) into a measuring cup and then into a glass so you can see how much it really is. Hint—just like plates, bigger wine glasses make it easier to drink more wine (and calories).

9. Eat like a kid. “Part of portion control is being aware of what you’re eating and knowing when to push away. “Kids are so good at this—they know when they’re full.” Kids tend to listen to their bodies, but as adults we’re sometimes too rushed or have become too accustomed to eating what’s on our plate. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register that you’ve had enough, so slow down to give your brain time to catch up with your eyes and your stomach.10.Enjoy what you eat. It sounds counterintuitive, but eating less can actually help you enjoy your food more. And focusing on your food, rather than noshing away in front of the TV or computer screen, can also help you savor your meals more. In the end, it’s about eating mindfully: Stop multi-tasking, and slow down. “Notice the food in front of you. Savor it. Use all of your senses to enjoy it.”