Photo by SweetOnVeg via Flickr

I love food. Yes, even the sad little brussel sprouts can take their place on my plate. But there’s only so much a girl can eat before reaching that “uh-oh, I’ve over-done it again” moment.

So here’s the best advice I’ve heard to avoid overeating and be kind to your waist-line and your health.

Before dishing up that next meal, remember these two tips:

1) Choose a smaller plate

Yes, even if you’re really hungry.

Look, it takes about 20 minutes for you to register that you’re full. If you’re mindlessly eating in front of the TV (the Overeating Culprit Number 1), you could’ve shoveled a mini mountain of food before 20 minutes are up, only to hit that awful over-full feeling moments later.

The smaller plate subtly tricks your brain into thinking that you have more food, meaning that you’re less likely to over-eat. So start small and slow, and hey, you can always go back for a second helping if you really, truly need more – after 20 minutes, of course.

2) Always start with the lower-kilojoule, higher-nutrition foods first

That usually means the fruit and veg first. You’ll want to identify the most satisfying foods – and by ‘satisfying’ I mean for your stomach, not for your emotions, so go put those chocolates away.

If you start with the foods that are highest in fibre, protein and/or water (think apples, carrots or eggs), then your stomach will start to feel satisfied sooner and you’ll take the edge off your hunger before going overboard on the higher-calorie foods.

The HAPIfork, designed to make you eat smarter and feel better.

Still need help?

Meet the portion control nagging nanny – the electronic vibrating fork. It’s called the HAPIfork and it’s a smart utensil designed to make you a smarter eater – and a slower eater at that.

The creators of this device hope to help you slow down the eating process and make you feel better after each meal by giving you a gentle vibration if it calculates you’re eating too fast.

Pretty nifty idea, especially if you fall victim to TV-dinners and unhealthy eating on-the-go.