When you were a kid your mama, probably, told you to eat all of your vegetables first so that you would deserve a dessert. Smart thinking! Apparently, the order of food has an effect on how much you eat of something.

First things first

In a study concerning food habit, researchers showed that participants took nearly 50 percent more of the food they ate first  (Wansink et al., 2012). When participants started their meal with nutrition high in starch (eg. potato, pasta), they ate more of this product, and thus less vegetables and products with proteins. On top of that, the overall food intake increased when one started with a starchy product.

Well begun is half done

Therefore, you best start your dinner with a green salad, vegetables, and proteins, and save your starchy potato or pasta for last. So start with healthiest, because well begun is half done!

Drink water

Drinking a large glass of water for each meal, can help you feel saturated a bit faster. Your tummy will be filled with water containing no calories at all, so there’s less place for something else. This is associated with more weight loss, if you keep this up for some time. And, of course, replacing sugar-based beverages by water is strongly associated to weight loss (ScienceDaily, 2010).

Food and appearance

People who eat a lot of fruits and vegetables were considered healthier in their appearance, research showed (Krieger, 2013). Even healthier than people who had a natural sun tan. Especially carotene from tomatoes and carrots ensure this healthy color. Moreover, eating the right nutrients can affect the quality of your hair and nails.

Healthy hair

Foods that are said to contribute to the health and thickness of your hair, include blueberries, salmon, spinach and walnuts. In the end, eating diverse and healthy is most recommended. But this may be a good incentive to eat some extra fruits and vegetables!