--- title: Healthy Diet: A Magic Formula for Healthier Eating description: The newest way to make good food choices canonical: https://time.com/3852626/healthy-eating-diet/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-14T14:47:55.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:04:04.702Z article:section: Health og:title: A Magic Formula for Healthier Eating (for Real) og:description: The newest way to make good food choices og:url: https://time.com/3852626/healthy-eating-diet/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc4bc8f6236ca0947/6987ef0a0b72e31c956e1f83/139264170-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=750&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: bowl-strawberries-counter og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A Magic Formula for Healthier Eating (for Real) twitter:description: The newest way to make good food choices twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc4bc8f6236ca0947/6987ef0a0b72e31c956e1f83/139264170-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=750&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # A Magic Formula for Healthier Eating by [Ellen Seidman / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Ellen Seidman / Health.com May 14, 2015 2:47 PM UTC  Bowl of Strawberries on Counter Bowl of Strawberries on CounterGetty Images by [Ellen Seidman / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Ellen Seidman / Health.com May 14, 2015 2:47 PM UTC If you’re looking to eat healthier, think C.A.N. Not as in willpower, but as in these three critical food musts: **C**onvenient (easy to reach), **A**ttractive (enticingly displayed), and **N**ormal (an obvious choice). That’s the conclusion of a recent study from Cornell University, which analyzed 112 studies that gathered information about healthy eating behaviors. People [who ate healthiest](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mar.20794/abstract) did so when a grocery store, restaurant, or partner offered up food following this formula. Think about a bowl of fruit displayed on a countertop versus fruit buried in [a drawer in your fridge](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20857242%5F3,00.html) and you get the idea. The study, published in the journal _Psychology and Marketing_, also offers hints about what to avoid: Watch out for specials at restaurants that have a tempting name, like Creamy Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo; are highlighted on the menu; and that your waitress is touting. “With these three principles, there are endless changes that can be made to lead people…to [eat healthier](http://foodpsychology.cornell.edu/OP/CAN%5FApproach),” promises Brian Wansink, PhD, Director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab. And they couldn’t be easier to remember. As in, you C.A.N. do it.  Cornell Food and Brand Lab [_This article originally appeared on Health.com._](http://news.health.com/2015/05/06/a-magic-formula-for-healthier-eating-for-real/) _More from Health.com:_ * [7 Restaurant Mistakes Healthy People Make](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20646732,00.html?xid=time) * [17 Ways to Skinny Up Your Fridge](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20793947,00.html?xid=time) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3852626/healthy-eating-diet/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3852626/healthy-eating-diet/"},"headline":"A Magic Formula for Healthier Eating","datePublished":"2015-05-14T14:47:55.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:04:04.702Z","description":"The newest way to make good food choices","url":"https://time.com/3852626/healthy-eating-diet/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition","diet","Nutrition","Healthy Eating","healthy diet"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc4bc8f6236ca0947/6987ef0a0b72e31c956e1f83/139264170-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ellen Seidman / Health.com"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc4bc8f6236ca0947/6987ef0a0b72e31c956e1f83/139264170-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"bowl-strawberries-counter","caption":"bowl-strawberries-counter","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3852626/healthy-eating-diet/","name":"A Magic Formula for Healthier Eating"}}]}] ```