At Temple lab, a child's-eye view of how to eat

"We find, in a family dining situation, the person who serves themselves immediately before you [is responsible for] between 25 and 30 percent of how much you eat," said Brian Wansink, director of Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab.

At home in Jenkintown, Fisher, 39, involves her twins in meal preparation to make food less threatening. "When they were toddlers, they used to help me push the button to the microwave," she said.

She gives them choices - broccoli or peas? - and grants their 5-year-old-boy wishes, such as dipping broccoli in ketchup.

"I always ask them to try one thing, and I always ask them what they think of it," she said. "They may say, 'That's gross,' and that's OK."

Wansink, the author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, describes Fisher as "a real researcher who studies real problems and comes up with real solutions."

"When it comes to childhood obesity or obesity in general, people love to point fingers at the fast-food industry or the food industry or government," he said, adding that Fisher's work "shows how a parent or other gatekeepers in a household can make a difference in childhood obesity, tonight." 

Contact staff writer Don Sapatkin at 215-854-2617 or dsapatkin@phillynews.com.