Eating habits to curb compulsive overeating

Whether you need to lose weight or you're just tired of leaving the table feeling as if you've swallowed a beach ball, the following tips will help you to curb your appetite and eat just enough — and no more.

• About an hour before dinner, have a handful of peanuts, a piece of fruit and cheese or a yogurt.
• Keeping your appetite in check is one of the best ways to avoid overeating.

• Desperate for crunchy food? Take half a head of shredded iceberg lettuce, a handful of baby carrots, a tomato and half a cucumber.
• Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, sprinkle on oregano, salt and pepper, and mix.
• Now that's a huge bowl of flavour-packed food for just a few calories.

• Need comfort food? Heat up a large bowl of soup made with lots of vegetables and beans.
• It's flavourful, hearty and generally high in nutrition and low in fat.

• Nuts take effort to crack the shells and extract the nut which slows you down.
• Nuts are very healthy in moderation.
• Choose walnuts, almonds, pecans, Brazil nuts or hazelnuts. Peanuts are too easy to open.

It's 90 per cent water! The other 10 per cent has ample nutrients and reasonable calories. Dig into a big slice any time.

Before you go out to eat, have a small snack to help you pass on the bread basket.

• Get rid of ice cream, candy, chips, cookies, donuts, cake and any other salty or sugary snacks. Learn to live without this unhealthy stuff. Period.
• Instead, stock up on fresh and dried fruit, carrots, celery, tomatoes, granola bars and high-fibre breakfast cereal — your new snack foods.