By Tula Karras

If you're like most Americans, you'll be celebrating Independence Day with friends and fireworks this weekend. In honor of the holiday, take some simple steps at your Fourth of July festivities to free yourself from some of the most common mindless eating traps. "There are a number of dietary danger zones that can trip a person up in ways they're not aware of," says Brian Wansink, Ph.D., who has conducted dozens of studies on environmental cues that lead us eat more than we intend to. Assert your independence!

The trap: The company
Studies show that you'll likely eat more when breaking bread with others than when eating solo, partly because you mimic your dining companions' eating habits—if they go for seconds, you will, too.
Free yourself: Ask yourself: Am I really hungry, or is cousin Al's I'll-take-a-hotdog-and-a-burger mentality influencing me? If it's too hard to sit and chat without ingesting anything, reach for a low- or no-calorie drink (like water) to sip while others are finishing up.

The trap: The tunes
You'd never guess it, but your ears can play tricks on your stomach. "Fast music speeds up the pace of your eating, so you eat about 8 percent more than you would without up-tempo music," Wansink explains.
Free yourself: At home, eat without background tunes. If you're out to eat or at a barbecue and don’t have control of the stereo, remove your plate when you feel full so you don't continue nibbling.

The trap: The dishes
The larger the plate, the more you'll eat. "People who ate off of a 12-inch plate consumed 28 percent more than those with a 10-inch plate," says Wansink. The kicker? Those who ate less food were just as satisfied as those who ate off the 12-inch plate. The fact is, we're trained to clean our plates, no matter what the size, and to "feel full" when we've accomplished that.
Free yourself: Down-size your dishes at home and reach for a small plate at barbecues to avoid overdoing it (you can go back for seconds if you're really hungry).