If you are looking to finish off a second helping of anything, try taking a short break first. You may find yourself no longer hungry after that.

The reason, to put it one way, is that our brain tends to lag behind our stomach. A dietician at Changi General Hospital, Ms Valerie Tan, explains why.

Our digestive system produces special hormones that start and end feeding, thereby bringing the feelings of hunger and satiety, she said.

However, "it takes some time for the satiety messages to register in the brain," said Ms Tan. "So if he or she eats slowly with breaks in between, there is enough time to feel full."

This means you could be hungry one moment, but find yourself stuffed if you were to just wait several minutes before tucking into your next portion. "Conversely, if we wait for too long to have our meals and get very hungry, we may tend to overeat as low blood sugars trigger off hunger signals," said Ms Tan.

One suggestion, said Ms Tan, is to put down the cutlery between each bite to delay the impulse to eat more, or delay eating for two to three minutes between courses by talking with others.

The order in which you eat foods matters as well. Interestingly, studies have found that people tend to eat a similar volume of food at each meal, said the Health Promotion Board (HPB).

Since volume remains fairly constant, what affects how many calories you take in then depends on the energy density of the food, which refers to the number of calories found in a given weight of food.

This means it is a good idea to eat less energy-dense foods at the first part of the meal. This will fill you up and help you eat less of the more energy-dense dishes later in the meal. Examples of foods with low energy density are those with high fibre or vegetable dishes with little added fat (for e.g., oil, dressing, cheese) and clear soups.

It's a good idea as well to save space for dessert - anticipate any "must-eat" dishes that are coming and avoid eating your fill of what is currently available, so the likelihood of overeating is lessened.

Another interesting, but probably easily overlooked fact, is that people eat simply because food is within easy reach. Studies have found that people are likely to eat more when they have more food on their plate, said the HPB.

So not overeating can be as simple as helping yourself to smaller portions or asking your host for less food.

For more healthy eating tips, visit the HPB website at www.hpb.gov.sg.

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Tips at a glance

1. The satiety messages take time to register in the brain: Put the cutlery down between bites, or talk to people between portions.

2. Eat less energy-dense foods, like fibre-rich foods, at the first part of the meal. This will fill you up and help you eat less of the more energy-dense dishes later on.

3. Avoid eating your fill of what is currently available - save 'space' for dessert.

4. Ask for smaller portions. People eat what is within easy reach, even if they're not hungry.