Land of Chocolate: Study Finds Eating Lots of Chocolate Keeps You Thin

Want an easy and delicious way to stay thin? Eat plenty of chocolate, one study says!

The March issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine has published the findings of a new study claiming that people who frequently ate chocolate had a lower body mass index (BMI) than people who didn't load up on the yummy, sinful treat.

Researchers examined more than 1,000 healthy men and women for the study who were free of heart disease, diabetes and cholesterol problems. They were all enrolled in another study that measured the effects of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, but for this study researchers assigned them questionnaires that gauged how often participants chowed down on chocolate.

The researched discovered that the participants in the study that ate the most chocolate during an average week actually had healthier BMI's than ones who indulged on dark chocolate less often. Although chocolate is high in calories, it also contains beneficial antioxidants, which might explain the healthy connection.

So, the next time you have the desire to bite into a Hershey bar, remind yourself it's good for your health and diet!

Stinky Food Diet: Strong Food Aroma Makes You Eat Less, Study Says

Need to go on a diet, but feeling deflated because you never seem to be able to lose all the weight you want? Maybe you should be chowing down on a nice slice of Limburger cheese, with liver and onions with a side of  asparagus and a poached egg!

Scientists studying how the smell of food affects how much we eat have determined that the stronger the smell a food item has, the less a person will eat of it. In an experiment, researchers enlisted the aid of 10 adults, lots of vanilla custard and zero spoons—because the custard was squeezed directly into each subject's mouth, in amounts the subject controlled. With each taste, subjects also got a blast of the strong custard aroma puffed directly into their nostrils.

The test patients who were exposed to the intense aroma of the custard before eating actually ate less of the rich, delicious dessert topping than those who were not exposed to the scent before chowing down.  Scientists believe the strong aroma of the food sends a signal to the brain that the item is very rich and high in calories or fat, making the average person eat less.

So, the next time you have the urge to cheat on your diet, taken a ginormous whiff of the decadent treat you are about to eat...you might trick your brain and not turn into a glutton!