helps you wake up ready for a bigger breakfast make lunch a really satisfying meal instead of an onthefly thing and downsize your dinner to lunchsize portions glassman suggests eating a smaller dinner can also help prevent midnight acid reflux which affects about onethird of americans according to the american gastroenterological association 12 ways to make mexican food healthy media 23504379 quicklist 4category health lessons from around the worldtitle from brazil get socialurltext having strong social ties is as important to longevity as not smoking according to research published in the journal plos medicine that may be one reason for the renowned good health of brazilians the social butterflies of the southern hemisphere in a study of 1477 people ages 70 to 79 australian researchers found that people with the most friends had a sevenyearlonger lease on life being around friends ups your production of oxytocin the cuddle hormone which calms the brain and could be to thank for friendships ability to improve blood pressure and binge eating one survey of 11 different countriesincluding the united states united kingdom and australiafound that brazilians spend the most time with their families an average of 74 hours per week and had among of the lowest levels of stress media 23507088 quicklist 5category health lessons from around the worldtitle from poland eat at homeurltext poles spend about 5 percent of their budget on eating out meanwhile the average american household spends 41 percent of its food dollars at restaurants and fastfood joints according to the us bureau of labor statistics sheesh and a 2006 study in the american journal of public health showed that unhealthy restaurant foods contain an average of 642 more calories than people assume they do making eating out a surefire way of letting out your waistline meanwhile 75 percent of the average americans sodium intake which is almost twice what it should be comes from commercial foods according to the harvard school of public health this raises your risk of heart disease the numberone killer in america cooking your own meals allows you to control exactly what is going into your food steer clear of the breadbasket and skip dessert glassman adds media 23504488 quicklist 6category health lessons from around the worldtitle from japan stop eating soonerurltext knowing the difference between full and stuffed can mean the difference between healthy and sickly okinawans who are known for their long life expectancy eat until they are about 80 percent full listen to your body and stop eating when you are slightly satisfied says glassman on a scale from one to 10 one being famished and 10 being stuffed you should stop eating at four she advises it takes time for your brain to tell your stomach its full so after you put your fork down youll still feel like you are filling up eat slower to help you to recognize this feeling avoid overeating and in the end youll even reduce your appetite media 23507693 quicklist 7category health lessons from