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Trying to stop mindless snacking? Here are the best ways to ditch that bad habit.
Snacking. We love it a little too much. And let’s be real – some of us snack too much, too often. Whether it’s to calm down a growling stomach, satisfy our boredom, or simply join in on the fun it brings to parties and hang-outs, snacking seems to be a real problem for many of us.
And despite our love for it, mindless snacking can actually lead to unwanted weight gain, poor eating preferences, and increase the risk of missing out on important nutrients. Cutting back on mindless snacking is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your health, and we’re here to help you get started.
We gathered several mindful strategies and tips to help you quit your mindless snacking habit.
Ask yourself is you’re actually hungry
This may come as a surprise, but many people don’t recognize when they’re truly hungry. They confuse wanting to eat with needing to eat, and they use food as a distraction, for entertainment, or as a means of satisfying boredom. Before you reach for a snack, pause and ask yourself if you are actually hungry or if you’re just eating for the sake of it. If you decide that you have true hunger, then you should definitely have a snack! Just make sure it’s a smart and healthy choice, so steer clear of anything highly processed – chips, cookies, etc.
Treat your snacks like a main event
By treating your snacks like you would your meals, you are much more likely to feel full and more satisfied after you’re finished eating. The next time you decide you want to have a snack, portion it out on a plate or in a bowl, sit at a table, and remove all distractions from your life. By truly enjoying your food and focusing solely on that, you will stop mindlessly eating and instead improve your overall health.
{RELATED POST: These Smart Snacking Tips Will Keep You Full For Hours}
Keep some foods out of sight
There are some foods in our lives that we simply can’t resist. So, the best thing you can do is keep them out of your home. Although you may miss your favorite snacks for a while, it’s been proven that seeing food makes you much more likely to eat it. Without it around, that problem is fixed!
Eat slowly
When you eat slowly, you have plenty of time to recognize the full feeling you get when you are truly satisfied. Try your best to chew your food slowly, pause between bites, and really focus on the different textures and flavors you’re consuming. Eating slowly also promotes better digestion, easier weight maintenance, and greater satisfaction with our meals. On the other hand, when you eat too fast (which many of us do when we’re very hungry) we tend to overeat and end up less satisfied.
Use smaller plates and bowls
Before we eat with our mouths, we eat with our eyes. If we place our food on a large plate or in a large bowl, we are likely to eat all of it (a large, unnecessary portion) based on the desire to “clean our plate.” When you use small kitchenware instead, your portions will be much smaller than it would otherwise and you will be less likely to overeat.
This post was all about how to stop mindless snacking.
