Think people who maintain a healthy weight avoid junk food or are slaves to the gym? You may be right, but there’s a missing link you should know about. In fact, the way you eat can be just as important as what you eat, as evidenced in a study from Cornell University. During the study, researchers watched 213 diners at Chinese restaurant buffets and they found some fascinating differences in the ways thin and overweight people ate.

Want to eat like a skinny person? These tips should help:

Choose Wisely. Thinner study participants poured over food choices before filling their plates. Choose only foods you enjoy and that satisfy you—then leave the other stuff off your plate.

Chew Slowly. A difference of only three chews per bite separated the thin from the overweight in the study, but the difference isn’t as small as you think. In fact, increased chewing per bite of food has been linked to lower body mass index. (Your eating speed may also affect your diabetes risk; read more.) Chewing impacts satiety, so take some time with every bite. And be sure to check in with yourself throughout the meal, registering your hunger and fullness levels using the Hunger Scale.

Forget the Fork. Could chopsticks be a get-slim secret? The study certainly points to a difference—heavier participants tended to use forks to shovel in the food, while slender eaters slowed down their eating pace with chopsticks.
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No matter what the most secure person says, we’re all a little self-conscious. We all care somewhat about what others think of us. Perhaps one of the most nerve wracking experiences for us all is eating. Whether we feel awkward about how we eat or what we eat, the act is often an uncomfortable one to share with onlookers. And if we’re not the healthiest eater, the process of ordering food may feel like judgement day.

As drive-thrus became more prevalent as I grew up, I recall hearing testimonies from obese people about their orders. I specifically remember a woman confessing that she’d always order two drinks so the employees didn’t think she was ordering all that food for herself. That way she could grab her over-sized meal in near anonymity and drive off with little notice.

Today, those who order food online may be pulling a similar “trick” in larger proportions. April Fulton recently reported on NPR’s food blog, “The Salt,” about a study conducted regarding online food ordering. The study was examined by Ryan McDevitt, an assistant professor at the University of Rochester’s Simon Graduate School of Business. McDevitt evaluated 160,000 orders from a pizza chain from a four-year period. He determined that online orders by the same people who had ordered on the phone or in person previously were 15 percent more complex, 4 percent more expensive, and 6 percent higher in calories. McDevitt pointed out the statistic that when online, people quadrupled their bacon toppings.
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Pizza is everywhere in our culture, whether we realize it or not. It’s the one food that most people can agree that they like, and a favorite of millions.

It can be found at chic restaurants as well as gas stations, and is eaten hot, cold, and even for breakfast. So isn’t it hard to believe there is no museum dedicated to the preservation of all things pizza? Well, not until now. One man, Brian Dwyer, is about to change that with the opening of a Philadelphia pizza museum and restaurant, Pizza Brain, in August.

What interests us as much as a whole building dedicated to pizza memorabilia, however, is how Dwyer and his friends plan to operate their restaurant. Besides wanting to be thought of as a family restaurant where everyone is welcome to affordable, familiar pizza, Pizza Brain is also committed to working in a “socially, ethically, and environmentally responsible fashion,” according to their website.
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Chipotle, how do I love thee? Let me keep counting the ways! This place keeps getting better and better. Chipotle just announced that effective this June, 100 percent of their stores’ sour cream and 65 percent of their restaurants’ cheese will be made from pasture-raised cows.

A pasture-raised cow is one that has daily access to outdoor pastures. Additionally, the animals are never fed hormones, only a vegetarian diet. The leading Mexican grill chain has made some bold and progressive moves in the last year, challenging the existing quality found in typical fast-food. Chipotle has already made a commitment to serve only naturally raised meats that contain no hormones or antibiotics. As a further commitment to health and sustainability, Chipotle buys its produce from farms located within 250 miles of each location. They also support family farms with The Chipotle Cultivate Foundation, which helps farms with sustainable practices and promotes healthy eating for kids.
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I intend on my son growing up to be a man. Height-wise, he’s nearly there and he’s only eight. With every passing stage I mourn a little for the little baby I once had. I refuse to let him grow up too fast.

He still mispronounces a few things and I won’t correct him because sometimes, the fact that he calls it a “mow-lawner” is the only connection I have to the tiny baby boy he once was. We won’t let him watch many television shows, we don’t allow the word “butt” in our house, and there’s serious controls on our Internet. Mature life will come soon enough, he needs to be a child for as long as possible. However, there is one aspect of being a kid I have never permitted with my son. When it comes to his diet, I refuse to treat my son like a child.

As I read the latest report about the nutrition content found in the so-called “healthy” kids meals I rolled my eyes. One restaurant’s hamburger was higher in fat than than three of another fast food joint’s chicken nuggets. And ‘fast-food place A’ serves a grilled cheese with way more sodium than “fast-food place B’s” corn dog. So it seems, in our tireless effort to get our kids healthy, we’re splitting hairs over whose junk food may have tweaked the recipe enough to be slightly lower in fat or cholesterol to earn the title as a “healthier option.”
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