With stay-at-home orders set up because of the novel Covid pandemic, we are a lot closer to snacks and confronting more stress, the two of which can trigger overeating and awful food choices.
Utilize these smart dieting tips to hold your waistline under wraps, so your work jeans will in any case fit when you finally get a chance to change out of your pajamas!
Reasons for Overeating:
Recognizing the cues that make you want to eat when you are not hungry is an important step in maintaining healthy eating habits during stressful times.
Stress Eating
Consider whether you need to eat because you are stressed, exhausted, or feeling emotional. Or then again would you say you are really hungry? Take a couple of minutes and do some mental investigations to decide why you want to eat.
On the off chance that it very well may be stress or emotional eating, attempt some stress management techniques. Stay occupied, keep your mind associated with something or get active. Exercising rather than stress eating is, maybe, the most ideal approach to remain fit.
Mistaking Thirst for Hunger
If you think you truly are ravenous, however, it isn’t supper time, drink some water and check whether you feel better. Appetite is regularly confused with thirst. Likewise, drinking water assists you with remaining hydrated.
Try not to drink a sweetened beverage that can deceive the mind and animate yearning or spike your blood sugar
Another choice is to drink warm, unsweetened refreshments like green tea, flavored tea, or dark espresso. This could fulfill your need to devour something in case you are truly not eager however need a little something.
How to Stop Overeating:
Knowing why you want to eat is the first step. Next, take action. Try these tips.
Set a Meal Schedule
If you think you need to eat however it isn’t supper time, wait for about 10-15 minutes to check whether you are still hungry. Regardless of whether you are still hungry try a bit harder and make it wait till supper time to have a meal.
In case you are regularly hungry at a specific time between dinners, plan a period for a quick bite. Furthermore, adhere to the timetable.
Eat Mindfully
When you do eat, and particularly in case you are fulfilling a hankering, give your body and psyche time to partake in every scrumptious chomp.
- Use all of your senses: sight, touch, smell, hearing, taste. Incorporate all of these into your eating experience. This will help you savor every bite.
- Sit down at the table. Banish distractions like watching a video or checking Facebook or emails. When you are distracted, you are most likely not paying attention to what you are eating or how much you are eating. If you are grazing every time you walk through the kitchen, it is more likely that you are not hungry.
- Chew slowly.It takes about 15-20 minutes for the food to reach your stomach and start registering that you are satisfied. If you eat too fast, you are more likely to overeat since your stomach won’t have had time to register that it is full.
Eating Right
Finally, making good food choices will go a long way to keep you eating healthy.
Conquering Cravings
If you are truly hungry and have a hankering for something specific, make good choices rather than grabbing something processed and unhealthy.
- If you want something sweet, choose fruit.
- Craving salt? Measure one ounce of nuts or an ounce of hummus.
- Sour could be a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.
- Creamy could be unsweetened yogurt (try plain and put in your fruit for flavor).
- Chewy options include a whole-wheat English muffin.
- For crunchy, try carrot sticks, celery, or other raw veggies.
- For a carb craving, try whole wheat crackers, like Triscuit Thins, which is a better choice than chips or standard crackers.
- If you just need chocolate, allow yourself one square to satisfy that craving.
Can Takeout Be Healthy?
Many people are choosing to order meals to support their local restaurants or for a change of pace.
That is fine. Just remember, when you order in, you often receive more food than you need in one sitting. Before you start to eat, put half in a container and save it for another meal.
And choose wisely:
- Avoid French fries – choose a side salad, plain baked potato, or soup instead.
- Go easy on the cheese and avoid stuffed crust or cheese-stuffed pasta dishes.
- Pass on anything fried or breaded.
- Make sure sauces are not oily or sugar-sweetened.
Consider these healthy options instead:
- Grilled chicken or fish
- Plain sweet potatoes (not fries) or baked potatoes (add your salsa to jazz it up)
- Whole grain pasta or bread (but limit your portions)
- Soups such as miso, butternut squash, vegetable, tomato basil, chicken tortilla, minestrone, wonton, egg drop, and turkey chili
Salad Tips
Salad can be a good takeout choice, but too often, they are lettuce topped with unhealthy choices, like dried fruits, breaded chicken, and high-calorie dressings.
Choose light oil and vinegar or use a tiny amount of dressing. Ask for the dressing on the side and lightly dip each bite in the dressing.
You can also make your light dressing rather than using the dressing that comes with the salad.
Practice Portion Control
As significant as what to eat is the amount you eat. Attempt to fulfill your hankering with a little piece of what you need. You don’t have to clean your plate. Eat until you are almost full, not until there isn’t anything left on your plate. You can generally take care of it for some other time.
Dividing dinners and bites early will help. Purchasing snack-size bags can be exceptionally useful to avoid overeating. On the off chance that you purchase a worth measured bag of snacks, take a few moments to take look at the nutrition label and portion out baggies of the snack according to the package recommendations. By pre-making snack bags, you are less likely to graze or sit down with an entire family-sized bag of snacks and mindlessly eat.
Original reference link: Healthy Eating During the Coronavirus | University of Maryland Medical System (umms.org)
