5 Things You're Doing Wrong at the Grocery Store

What he found: You've heard that you shouldn't go shopping when you're hungry because you'll buy more food. Wansink has found that, in fact, when we are hungry, we buy the same amount of food but more cellophane-wrapped nibbles that can be opened with one hand and devoured in five seconds flat. Because most people can't help but shop when they're hungry, Wansink decided to come up with a way to interrupt those urgent cravings. When he gave shoppers gum to chew at the start of their shopping trip, they bought 7 percent less junk food than those who weren't chewing gum and also rated themselves as less ravenous and less tempted by food.

What you should do: Make sure the gum is sugarless, because sugary gum (as well as hard candy) had the opposite effect and amped up the craving for sweets.