Avoiding Mindless Eating

Mindless eating is when you do not pay attention to what or how much you are eating. Mindless eating often leads to overeating, the inability to recognize natural hunger and fullness cues, and inevitable weight gain.

There are many factors beyond hunger that cause people to eat, and to eat mindlessly – influence of family and friends, plate size, food package size, availability of food, activity-related eating, eating while distracted, and so many more.

To put an end to mindless eating, by being aware and avoiding these common mindless eating traps.

Convenience. Food is available everywhere you go. You may find yourself eating even though you’re not hungry simply because the food is so convenient. And to make matters worse, these convenient foods are typically high-calorie, nutrient-poor junk foods.

Large Portions. Restaurants and fast food joints continue to serve-up huge portions – up to 4 to 5 times the recommended serving size. Many individual-sized packaged foods are also 2 to 3 times larger than what an individual serving should be.

Cheap food. There is an abundance of cheap low-quality food available. It is so easy – and cheap – to grab a quick snack of candy, potato chips and chocolate bars.

Liquid calories. Portion sizes of sugary beverages have also increased. You can easily mindlessly sip away at hundreds of excess calories that don’t fill you up.

Misunderstanding healthier options. When foods are labelled as healthier, lighter, low-calorie, etc., some see this as a green light to eat as much as they want. But you only get the benefits of the “healthier option” if you stick to the recommended portion size.

Eating while distracted. When you eat while doing something else such as driving, working at your desk or watching TV, it can lead to overeating because you’re not paying attention to the amount you’re eating, and you don’t get the same satisfaction from food when you eat it mindlessly.

Activity-related eating. There are many activities that people associate with eating whether they are hungry or not such as watching a movie or attending a sports game.

http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/121610p30.shtml

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