When you’re tempted to drown your sorrows or stress in a sack of M&Ms, these expert tips can help keep emotional—or mindless—eating in check:
1. Create a "hunger scale."
If you’ve been grazing to soothe your mood for years, it can be nearly impossible to know when you’re actually hungry, instead of tired, sad, or just plain bored. To train yourself to measure your appetite accurately, try creating your own hunger scale where one is ravenous and ten is stuffed. “You shouldn’t eat unless you are at least a five, preferably a seven,” says Kristin Kirkpatrick, RD, manager of wellness nutrition services at Cleveland Clinic’s Wellness Institute. Tape your scale to your refrigerator, your office computer, the dashboard of your car—wherever you tend to overindulge—and use it to bring you into awareness.
2. Eat without distraction.
Eating can easily take an unhealthy turn when you aren’t paying attention to what you’re putting in your mouth—a common issue with emotional eating. Researchers at the University of Liverpool in England found that people who swipe at their cell phones or stare at the TV while eating gobble down up to 50 percent more food than those who are actively engaged with their meals! "Even if you’re eating for one, set the table, use a placemat, and light a candle,” says Kirkpatrick. “If you make an experience out of it, your meal will ultimately be more satisfying.”
3. Eat balanced meals.
Let’s be real: You can’t be expected to make rational, healthy food choices when you’re starving. Eating three healthy squares every day will make you less likely to become ravenous (and hangry) between meals, and therefore less likely to book it to the vending machine or convenience store for a sugary or salty hit. “People get cravings for unhealthy food because they aren’t getting enough protein, fiber, and healthy fat in their meals,” says Virgin. “Protein is very satiating, small amounts of fat send pleasure signals to the brain, and fiber slows down digestion and keeps your blood sugar levels more stable.” Start your day with nut butter and whole grains like oatmeal, or eggs and fruit, and you'll set yourself up for success.
4. Set a timer before you dig in.
If you’re not sure if you’re reaching for food because you’re harried or hungry, wait it out before putting a single morsel in your mouth. “Set a timer for ten minutes, then go send some emails or fold the laundry,” says Kirkpatrick, “and if you still want the food after that, then have it.” Do the same thing before you serve yourself seconds at dinner: Research shows it typically takes 20 minutes for your stomach to communicate a sense of fullness to the brain, so you may be refilling your plate for the wrong reasons.
More from Fitbie: Are you Eating Enough Protein?
5. Keep a food journal.
It may not be new advice, but it definitely works—particularly for women who want to lose weight. A study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that women who kept a food diary shed twice as many pounds as those who didn’t jot things down. “A food journal is not just a log of what you’re eating; it also helps you track your emotions,” says Kirkpatrick. Write down every food that touches your lips, and what you were feeling at the time you ate it. (You'll start to notice what’s trending, just like you would on Twitter.) If you gobble down candy whenever there's a work deadline, for example, make sure there’s none in your office during crunch time.
6. Banish trigger foods from your house.
If you can’t control yourself around sleeves of Chips Ahoy!, don’t keep 'em around. The easiest way to hold yourself to that rule? Don’t go to the grocery store when you’re stressed out—or starving. “You are way more likely to buy the cookies, and they’ll be sitting in your pantry waiting for your next emotional outburst,” says Kirkpatrick. And if your family members would rebel if you banished all junk food from the house, at least keep it out of sight. A Cornell University study found that people ate two more candies each day when they were visible compared to when they were stashed away.
Read more at: depkhoenews.com
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