> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foodconsumer.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Diet Tricks That Really Work - URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/diet_tricks_that_really_work_0806100746/ - Published: 2010-06-08T08:44:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-22T18:42:56.000Z - Description: Mercola passes along Live Science's list of weight-loss tactics: skip high-fructose corn syrup, treat junk food as addictive, keep meal times structured, eat a protein-rich breakfast, favour whole foods over processed, shrink your plates, and pay attention while you eat. - Author: Food Consumer - Tags: Obesity, Avoiding Illness, #vivvo-import Posted By [Dr. Mercola ](http://articles.mercola.com/members/Dr.-Mercola/default.aspx?ref=foodconsumer.org)| June 08 2010 According to *Live Science*, these diet tricks will actually help you keep off the pounds: > ![diet tricks](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/c2/f5c28c07-f2c7-440d-8161-125a09d9bc91/content/images/2026/08/2bd959efb0d3a92db9233f52f5b9291ac9616fa0.jpg)**Avoid corn syrup** > > Science shows that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is bad news. One study showed that rats who drank HFCS-sweetened beverages gained significantly more weight than rats consuming the same amount of calories in sugar. > > **Keep away from junk food -- It's Addictive** > > Junk food can affect your brain in ways similar to drug abuse. > > **Structure meal times** > > Long stretches without food make people crave energy-dense snacks, which can make healthy choices difficult. > > **Satisfy your body -- especially at breakfast** > > A protein-rich breakfast leaves you less hungry for the rest of the day. Some fat in the meal can help, too. > > **Favor foods closer to nature** > > Favoring whole fresh foods over processed ones will naturally optimize the healthiness of your food choices. > > **Change your environment** > > Altering your food environment -- whether this means using smaller plates or keeping seconds out of immediate reach -- can help you lose weight. > > **Enjoy your food** > > Food that is eaten mindlessly is neglected food. When you pay attention, you are satisfied in a deeper way. ### Sources: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/c2/f5c28c07-f2c7-440d-8161-125a09d9bc91/content/images/2026/08/ad07fcc2c1b88ea962a7acfb617d9fce0d5472f0.gif) [Live Science May 23, 2010](http://www.livescience.com/health/Top-7-Diet-Tricks-100521.html?utm%5Fsource=feedburner&utm%5Fmedium=feed&utm%5Fcampaign=Feed%3A+livescience%2Fhealthscitech+%28LiveScience.com+Health+SciTech%29) | Dr. Mercola's Comments: | [![Follow me on twitter](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/c2/f5c28c07-f2c7-440d-8161-125a09d9bc91/content/images/2026/08/a4a7fe91740be807a56b49c07f3e67c1ed28df18.png)](http://twitter.com/mercola?ref=foodconsumer.org) [![Follow me on facebook](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/c2/f5c28c07-f2c7-440d-8161-125a09d9bc91/content/images/2026/08/700da0f79cfbf8a75ff7b3eaa55a474b9e406ce6.png)](http://www.facebook.com/doctor.health) | | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | > Two-thirds of the U.S. population are overweight, and left unchecked it seems the [rates may climb to 80%](http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/08/28/will-all-americans-be-fat-in-40-years.aspx?ref=foodconsumer.org) \-- or four out of five people -- in just a few decades. So there is not only a great need but also a great desire among many Americans to shed some excess pounds. > > If you’re reading this article, chances are that you fall into this category, and perhaps have tried more than a handful of diet “tricks” before. But I can tell you right now that if the trick seems too good to be true -- i.e. [weight loss pills](http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/07/09/doctors-outraged-fda-ignored-cancer-risk-when-approving-alli.aspx?ref=foodconsumer.org), [massive weight loss in a short period of time](http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/09/09/dont-be-blindsided-later-in-life-by-gastric-bypass-side-effects.aspx?ref=foodconsumer.org), or promising weight loss without dietary changes or exercise -- it almost certainly is. > > Virtually the only healthy way to lose weight and keep your weight at a healthy level is to eat right and exercise -- not by starving yourself and putting in 3-hour workouts a day for three weeks, but by adhering to healthy lifestyle principles for a lifetime. ## Want to Propel Your Body Toward its Ideal Weight? > That said, there *are* certainly some “tricks” you can use to help slim down in a more expeditious, but still healthy, manner. LiveScience compiled seven great ones above, and what you may notice is they have nothing to do with eating only cabbage soup for three months or wrapping your body in seaweed to lose inches. > > Instead, they revolve around making simple, healthy *choices*, options that will alter the way you think about food and, hopefully, change your relationship with food for the better. > > Likewise, the tricks that follow are actually not “tricks” at all but rather smart lifestyle strategies that will propel your body toward its ideal weight, naturally. ## Be Ruthless in Cutting Out Fructose > LiveScience was spot on when they mentioned avoiding high-fructose corn syrup as a primary way to avoid weight gain. As a standard recommendation, I strongly advise keeping your fructose consumption below 25 grams per day. > > However, for most people it would actually be wise to limit your fruit fructose to 15 grams or less, as it is virtually guaranteed that you will consume “hidden” sources of fructose from just about any processed food you might eat. > > Why is cutting out fructose so important? > > Fructose diminishes your feelings of fullness because it does not stimulate a rise in leptin, one of the most powerful hunger- and fat storage regulators in your body. Fructose also reduces the amount of leptin crossing your blood-brain barrier by raising triglycerides. > > Leptin resistance, in turn, is perhaps one of the most significant factors underlying human disease. For example, it plays a significant if not primary role in the development of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases, reproductive disorders, and perhaps the rate of aging itself. > > Additionally, whereas glucose suppresses [ghrelin](http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2002/09/07/hormones-part-three.aspx?ref=foodconsumer.org) (also known as “the hunger hormone,” which makes you want more food), fructose, again, does not. > > Fructose also increases your insulin levels, interfering with the communication between leptin and your hypothalamus, so your pleasure signals aren’t extinguished. Your brain keeps sensing that you’re starving, and prompts you to eat more. > > As you can see, consuming fructose suppresses feelings of satiety in several ways, which eventually will have serious consequences for your weight and overall health. > > How much fructose is in the foods you eat? Just ONE can of soda contains about 40 grams of high fructose corn syrup, which is already well over any kind of healthy limit. You can further gauge the high fructose corn syrup content of some popular foods below: > > | **Fruit** **Serving Size** **Grams of Fructose** Limes 1 medium 0 Lemons 1 medium 0.6 Cranberries 1 cup 0.7 Passion fruit 1 medium 0.9 Prune 1 medium 1.2 Apricot 1 medium 1.3 Guava 2 medium 2.2 Date (Deglet Noor style) 1 medium 2.6 Cantaloupe 1/8 of med. melon 2.8 Raspberries 1 cup 3.0 Clementine 1 medium 3.4 Kiwifruit 1 medium 3.4 Blackberries 1 cup 3.5 Star fruit 1 medium 3.6 Cherries, sweet 10 3.8 Strawberries 1 cup 3.8 Cherries, sour 1 cup 4.0 Pineapple 1 slice(3.5" x .75") 4.0 Grapefruit, pink or red 1/2 medium 4.3 | **Fruit** **Serving Size** **Grams of Fructose** Boysenberries 1 cup 4.6 Tangerine/mandarin orange 1 medium 4.8 Nectarine 1 medium 5.4 Peach 1 medium 5.9 Orange (navel) 1 medium 6.1 Papaya 1/2 medium 6.3 Honeydew 1/8 of med. melon 6.7 Banana 1 medium 7.1 Blueberries 1 cup 7.4 Date (Medjool) 1 medium 7.7 Apple (composite) 1 medium 9.5 Persimmon 1 medium 10.6 Watermelon 1/16 med. melon 11.3 Pear 1 medium 11.8 Raisins 1/4 cup 12.3 Grapes, seedless (green or red) 1 cup 12.4 Mango 1/2 medium 16.2 Apricots, dried 1 cup 16.4 Figs, dried 1 cup 23.0 | > | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | > > Please realize that as you cut out corn syrup from your diet, you should NOT replace it with [agave sweeteners](http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/07/02/Agave-A-Triumph-of-Marketing-over-Truth.aspx?ref=foodconsumer.org), as they can be anywhere from 55 percent to 90 percent fructose! (And it’s likely you won’t be able to tell from the product label.) ## Continue reading [part 2](https://www.foodconsumer.org/diet%5Ftricks%5Fthat%5Freally%5Fwork%5F0806100752/)