”We eat to Live, we don’t Live to eat.”
In today’s modern world, where everybody is addicted to instant gratification, mindless eating is incredibly common. Whether it be visual stimulation from the television, the high you get from drugs, or the satisfying taste of food, these are all types of stimulation, that appeal to our senses and hormones.
All of these things appeal to our senses and trigger hormones in our body such as dopamine and serotonin that give us feelings of enjoyment and makes our brain say “give me more!”
That’s why it’s so easy to end up binge watching netflix, become addicted to drugs, or continue to put your hand back into that bag of potato chips.
You may be a mindless eater if:
-You eat from a bag or box while working on the computer or watching T.V.
-You grab something to eat or drink when you are feeling sad, mad, lonely or bored.
-You find yourself opening the fridge or cupboard frequently without any indication of hunger from your body.
-You snack or graze throughout the day without being aware that you are doing it or without being able to control yourself.
What can we do to help:
Stop. Think. Ask why. As you casually reach for another mini size snickers bar or open up the cupboards for a snack out of mere boredom... stop, think, and ask yourself WHY.
Am I hungry?
Does this food get me closer to my goals?
Am I going to regret eating it?
Could I eat something better?
Avoid your trigger food. One thing you can do to minimize mindless eating is to keep snack foods tucked away, instead of in plain sight. Or better yet, just don’t buy snack foods. If that guilty pleasure snack food is sitting on the counter-top staring at you in the face, you’ll be more likely to eat it. Leave it at the store. 😊
Visual cues for portion control. Chances are if we load up our plate with all of the food that looks appealing to our senses….we are going to eat the entire plate because our parents taught us to clean the whole plate, right? Instead, try cutting down your portions to start with or even use a smaller plate so you have to cut down portions.
Eat breakfast every day! Any day that we skip breakfast (the MOST important meal of the day) our tendency to graze or munch sky rockets. Set every day up for success by getting in a good, healthy breakfast right away.
Lastly, be mindful. In every aspect of life, if we take time to be mindful and aware of our bodies, chances are we will make better decisions about food, nutrition, and so much more.