Healthy eating is a mind game: 7 psychological hacks to train your brain to eat healthy and outsmart your cravings without feeling deprived

Are you someone who has made their Monday as their go-to-day to start dieting or working or focus on your health, but that Monday is just like your dedication to stay healthy and fit by eating better or working out…
There’s no denying that we all have been there, and we often start the week with the best intentions and motivation, such as a fridge packed with spinach, zero junk food in the house, and a vow to finally quit sugar. But by Wednesday night this motivation and intention surrender to a bowl of chips or ice cream or any cheesy junk, which makes it look totally impossible to set an intention and you wonder where your willpower went! Well, here is the hard truth that relying entirely on willpower to eat healthy is just like losing a battle. This is simply because our brains are naturally wired to crave calorie-dense comfort foods, and a stressful day at work quickly drains whatever self-control we have left. However, the actual secret to losing weight by dieting is to eat better, to outsmart it. By making tiny, stealthy shifts in your kitchen and your mindset, you can actually trick yourself into eating healthier without ever feeling deprived. Here are seven practical, mind-bending hacks to upgrade your diet today.

Shrink your plates
Stop stacking heaps of food! Yes, if you pile a normal portion of food onto a massive dinner plate, your brain looks at all that empty space and instantly assumes you’re being starved. You can easily flip this visual switch by swapping your standard large dinner plates for smaller salad plates. When the exact same amount of food fills a smaller plate to the brim, your eyes tell your brain that you are about to eat a massive, satisfying feast. You’ll naturally eat smaller portions and feel just as full.



Hide the Junk
As humans, our souls have a deep connection with junk and unhealthy snacking, and for most of us it is the easiest to see and reach. If a sleeve of cookies is sitting right on your kitchen counter, you are going to grab one every time you walk past. Use this laziness to your advantage. Keep a bowl of fresh apples or bananas at eye level on your counter, and put the healthy stuff upfront in the fridge. If you do keep junk food in the house, bury it at the very back of your highest cabinet where you physically need a chair to reach it. Out of sight, out of mind.

Eat your veggies
When a full plate of food is set in front of you—say, steak, mashed potatoes, and broccoli—most of us naturally eat the heavy carbs and protein first. By the time we get to the greens, we are either getting full or just bored of eating. Try serving your vegetables or salad before the rest of the meal even hits the table. When you are at your hungriest, even plain roasted broccoli tastes incredible. You’ll fill up on fiber and nutrients first, which naturally keeps you from overeating the heavier stuff afterward.


Out of Reach
Love sitting down for a family-style dinner—where massive bowls of curries, risottos, pizzas pasta and sides sit right in the middle of the table. Watch out, as it is an absolute trap. It makes getting a second or third helping as effortless as moving your arm six inches. Instead, leave the pots and pans on the stove. Fix your plate in the kitchen, and then walk over to the table to eat. If you want seconds, you physically have to stand up, walk back to the kitchen, and scoop it. That tiny bit of friction gives your brain a moment to pause and ask, "Am I actually still hungry, or am I just eating because it's there?"


Pay with hard cash
This may be tricky, but it actually works. In a world of digital wallets and tap-to-pay credit cards, buying food has become entirely painless. Unfortunately, this makes it way too easy to give in to our worst snack impulses. Psychologists have found that we feel a literal "pain of paying" when we have to part with physical paper money. If you want to curb your impulse buys at the grocery store or vending machine, make a strict rule that you can only buy treats, sodas, or fast food using cash. You'll be amazed at how quickly a craving vanishes when you have to count out physical bills for it.


Use tall and narrow glasses
If you are trying to cut back on sugary sodas, juices, or alcohol, take a hard look at your glassware. Our brains are notoriously bad at calculating volume, and we tend to focus on the height of a liquid rather than its width.
When you pour a drink into a short, wide glass, you almost always overpour—sometimes by as much as 30%—without realizing it. Switching to tall, slender glasses tricks your eyes into thinking you are getting a much bigger, more generous drink than you actually are.

Say "I don't"
Yes, this trick can train your brain, as the vocabulary you use inside your own head plays a massive role in your success. When you tell yourself, "I can't eat that donut," you are coming from a place of punishment and deprivation. This triggers a rebellious mental response that makes you want the donut even more. Instead say I don't want donuts!" It sounds like a small tweak, but "I can't" implies that an outside force is restricting you, while "I don't" establishes a personal boundary. It shifts your identity. You aren't being deprived; you are simply a person who chooses to eat differently.