You eyeball oil, salt, sugar

THE RESULT: More calories or sodium than you might expect.

THE FIX: Measure. Some cookbooks call for swirls, coatings, even “glugs” of olive oil. Others, more precise, call for a teaspoon or a tablespoon—and you may be tempted just to guess. Our experiments with guesswork, though, show that most people overpour common foods and liquids. The difference between a teaspoon and tablespoon of any oil is 80 calories and 9g of fat. The difference between a . teaspoon and a teaspoon of salt is about 1,200 milligrams—half the daily recommendation.