Benjamin Caro

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Tag "diet"

...such as only two rolls of sushi.
Flickr/perke

Here’s a study that belongs in a Malcolm Gladwell book. Researchers found that when people were presented with chocolate, popcorn or hand cream (please don’t eat hand cream), they sampled less off red plates than off any other color. Wait a minute. Is this the “one, weird trick” that helps you cut down a bit of your belly every day? I reached out to Adam Alter, author of Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces that Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave, about why red could have this de-appetizing affect:

Since red is usually associated with “danger and prohibition” (Think parking signs – and then remember to move your car), this might have tipped off the samplers to curb their sampling.

Adam Alter, author of Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces that Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave, offered Squid Ink another possibility. “Certain colors are also generally more appetizing than others: reds and greens are more appealing, for example, than blues and purples, which are rarely found in natural foods.”

It’s possible that by making the plate more appetizing, the products appeared less so.

Should you chuck the good china? Read the full article for why that might be a bad idea.

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The Book of Daniel - Daniel Plan

You know, from The Book of Daniel.

I wrote about The Daniel Plan, a new faith-based diet based off the biblical story in the Book of Daniel, for L.A. Weekly’s Squid Ink blog. A companion book was released just last week, so any new followers of the diet are up for a challenge: Christmas. Ironically, celebrating Jesus’ birth is going to be their first hurdle. Here are the five tips I mentioned, using the diet, to defeat Christmas:

5. Get your relatives in on the plan
The website touts that “sustained lifestyle change works best in groups or with a partner,” and while that may sound like a pyramid scheme, research backs this up.

4. Focus on fat to avoid sugar
The sound of the word “fat” may cause you to recoil, but grass-fed butter like Kerrygold is filled with a healthy amount of Omega-3’s and other micronutrients — and research has shown that olive oil can be tremendously good for you. Sugar, on the other hand, may cause food cravings, insulin spikes and can be damaging to your hormones.

3. Keep exercising
Many think they need a gym and hours of free time for exercise to be effective. Not true, research shows. All you need is seven minutes and a chair; there are apps to help you. Schedule your workout before eating, and you may have the added benefit of funneling extra calories to your muscles instead of your stomach.

2. Cook with spices
It’s easy to make foods taste good by pouring sugar, fat or salt all over them, but it’s more healthful, and possibly interesting, to use spices. Many spices have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties while remaining virtually calorieless.

1. Pray
“Please God, don’t let me get fat.” You know, when all else fails.

 

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