The Treat That Keeps You Slim

Can't resist those fat-packed holiday goodies? Snatch a candy cane from the tree.

A new study from Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia found that adults consumed about 2,800 fewer calories per week when they were regularly exposed to peppermint. "Smelling or eating peppermint seems to increase activity in the area of the brain responsible for alertness," says study author Bryan Raudenbush, Ph.D. "So you won't experience a slump that prompts you to seek out a snack."