Three simple keys to curb your appetite and avoid overeating:

1. Slow down:  Simply slowing down when you are eating,  give's your body time to register that you are full. 

2. Listen to your body:  When your body first starts to feel satisfied and fed, put the fork down!  You're done.

3. Fool your body: Eating the right foods can cause your body to feel fuller sooner and longer. 

A short lineup of the foods that can fool your body.  

Oh Nuts! Pine nuts that is!  Eating a handful of pine nuts with a light meal will create a feeling of being full.  The lowly pine nut has been a staple in European and Asian diets since Paleolithic times.  The pine nut contains the highest amount of protein of any nut or seed and also contains a naturally occurring polyunsaturated fat that actually stimulates two powerful hunger-suppressing hormones.  These hormones play a lead role in signaling the brain that you are full and no longer hungry.  Dietary studies conducted on the pine nut show that they can reduce a dieter’s food intake by as much as 36%.  No wonder the pine nut has the diet industry’s attention. 

Plain old Oatmeal! Oatmeal is one of the healthiest carbohydrates in existence.  Its high fiber content and low glycemic index allows it to enter your bloodstream slowly which contributes greatly to that feeling of being full for a longer period of time.  Additionally, a bowl a day has been proven to reduce cholesterol by eight to 23 percent.  Oatmeal is an excellent food for reducing hunger.  Now that you know the secret of pine nuts, sprinkle a handful of those into your oatmeal to get maximum appetite control.  Be sure to use regular oatmeal, not the instant stuff for best results.

Chomp away! Chewy high-fiber foods like apples or pears are great at slowing you down because they require extra chewing time which gives your body that extra bit of time to register that you’re no longer hungry.  Of course when that starts to happen you are less likely to overeat.  In one controlled study, people who ate three small apples a day to control their appetite experienced greater weight loss then those who didn’t eat apples.  Of course any healthy eating plan requires a good exercise program and an important side benefit of apples is that they serve as a natural anti-inflammatory . . . to help curb those aches and pains.

In the soup.  Soup is one of the best-kept, great tasting secrets of weight loss.  Soup’s combination of high water content and relatively low calories is the secret of its effectiveness.  It fills you up . . . not out.  In a research program conducted by Penn State University, subjects who consumed two servings of low-calorie soup daily lost an incredible 50 percent more weight than those consuming the exact same number of calories from snacks.  Now the key selection criterion with soup is to choose broths or vegetable soups, and always avoid the rich creamy types.

The Seven Awesome Powers of Oatmeal

1. Oatmeal helps lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. The soluble fiber in oats helps remove LDL or "bad" cholesterol, while maintaining the good cholesterol that your body needs.
   
   The U.S. Food and Drug Administration now permits oatmeal packaging to carry a label claiming it may reduce the risk of heart disease when combined with a low-fat diet.
    

2. Oatmeal is an excellent source of protein, complex carbohydrates and iron and it contains a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and natural antioxidants.
    

3. Oatmeal may help reduce high blood pressure. This reduction effect is linked to the increase in soluble fiber provided by oatmeal.
    

4. New research suggests that oatmeal may reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes.  The soluble fiber these foods help to control blood glucose levels.
   
   The American Diabetes Association currently recommends that people with diabetes should eat grains like oats.
    

5. The fiber and nutrients in oatmeal may actually reduce the risk for certain cancers.
    

6. The oats found in your grocery store are 100% natural. 
   If you read the ingredients label on a canister of rolled oats, you should see only one ingredient, rolled oats!
   (Excluding certain flavored varieties.)
    

7. Oatmeal absorbs a considerable amount of water due to it’s soluble fiber.  This significantly slows down the digestive process causing you to feel full longer.  Clearly, oatmeal can help you control your weight.