Food is the fuel your body needs – that’s true for every animal. But for humans, food goes beyond that. We have mastered the culinary arts – which means we don’t just eat food to sustain ourselves but to have an experience that’s enjoyable for our mouths, our palates and our souls.
That comes with a trade-off of its own – because most food that tastes good may not necessarily be healthy for us. And then there’s the larger problem: overeating – which means the food is so good, you just can’t stop.
Now, let’s be honest – we have all been guilty of this. Some people eat to live, and some people live to eat. Some people are emotional eaters. Some people eat because the food is right there, while some eat out of sheer boredom. Then there are hormones. Stress. Anxiety. Or our own doing – aka skipping meals and then bingeing in one sitting.
You know it’s unhealthy – but knowing is one part of it. How do we put a lid on it, and how do we control this overeating phenomenon that has consumed us as a population?
The answer is simple: mindful eating.
Here are 7 easy ways to practise just that.
1. Know Your Portion Sizes
You don’t have to weigh and measure everything you eat (though if you do that, that’s great), but you can eyeball it. Know exactly what goes in your body, and HOW MUCH of it goes in it too.
Once you know you have eaten enough to sustain yourself, your body will tell you. Make sure your portion sizes are small so that you can easily control this, instead of having to overeat just because you have taken more food on your plate. Or, you know, invest in smaller plates. That’s a trick a lot of people use too.
2. Don’t Skip Meals
Hunger is one of the common causes of overeating. Stay ahead of it. Make sure you don’t starve yourself to a point where you mindlessly wolf down food. Make time for food, eat at regular intervals, schedule your meals and you won’t have any reason to overeat when you sit down to eat next.
3. Stay Hydrated
An easy way to keep your stomach (and mind) satiated is by staying constantly hydrated. This allows you to trick your mind and sidestep those hunger pangs that immediately go away after you drink a couple of glasses of water.
4. Slow. Down
It takes a few minutes for your stomach to alert your brain that it feels full. If you simply gorge on food without stopping, you realise you have overeaten a little too late.
The solution is to slow down. Eat more mindfully. Chew every morsel and every bite, slowly. And when you’re full, you will know.
5. Be IN The Moment
Avoiding distractions is the easiest way to stop overeating. When you eat while watching TV or watching a sport or even engaging in conversations with people, your focus is not on your food, and it’s easy to forget just exactly how much you’re eating.
The result? You’re sweaty, unbuttoning your pants and cursing yourself for eating as much as you did not watching TV and focusing on your food allows you to connect with it, in a way, and ensure you eat just as much as your body needs – and also helps you with better digestion.
6. Consume More Protein and Fibre
Simply put, these two foods are more ‘satiating’ – aka they help you feel fuller, faster. Choose more foods with protein and fibre in it, and you will feel full faster too!
7. Know Your Trigger Foods
We all have foods that we simply cannot say no to. For most of us, these are foods that are loaded with salt, sugar, and trans fat – most of which are actually full of empty calories.
Make a list of foods that trigger you – the ones you struggle to put down – and make sure they are not easily accessible in the house. Control your urges, and you will control overeating too.
Overeating or indulging once in a while is perfectly all right, but when you do it regularly, that’s when the problem arises. Most of my clients at MSF have a customised nutrition plan that is tailored to their lifestyle to make it easier for them to adapt to it. If you need some help to control your overeating tendencies, consider seeking help from a fitness coach, who will offer guidance and help you with nutrition and workout-related advice in your everyday life!
Shared By: Miten Kakaiya,
Miten Says Fitness
