On a day to day basis, hogging on food becomes a basic necessity. One might say that eating is to survive as food provides replenishment for the body. But in reality, we eat for lots of reasons that are mentally associated.
On a day to day basis, hogging on food becomes a basic necessity.
One might say that eating is to survive as food provides replenishment for the body. But in reality, we eat for lots of reasons that are mentally associated.
Many a time, people eat a lot of food just to supplement their basic feelings – at times being happy and sad. At times when one’s feelings affect the when, what, and how much you eat, that is called ‘emotional eating’.
However, emotional eating can often lead to overeating and can cause overweight and obesity.
That’s when you eat to satisfy your emotions and not the physical hunger, it can be hard to stop and mind you, even when the tummy is full!
But what gives rise to emotional eating?
What is that arises the craving for this indigenous appetite for foods that hardly stock up?
One can be stress which can be the number one reason behind emotional eating. When our minds are stressed out, our body craves for foods that are sugary, fatty, and salty.
So that’s when you are too worked up at your office desk and the mind craves for a packet of chips. Another factor could be boredom which could also trigger emotional eating just for the fact that one may have nothing else to do and might find themselves opening the kitchen cabinets in search of something to eat.
The third reason here are habits. Normally, one may not be hooked on to eat some chocolate pudding after completing school or college one doesn’t think about what time it is or whether you are about to have a meal at the wrong time.
So how could one stop these habits and curb emotional eating? Well, the below points can easily help you out. Check them:
Attentive eater
Always be on the alert while hogging. Eating consists of eating slowly, savouring every bite, smelling the aroma of your food and looking at it before gulping it down your mouth. Just make sure that the bite you take is being taken in a cautious presence.
Controlling through practise
During the childhood days, we all were familiar with game known as ‘Simon Says’ that dealt with each person taking turns and obey the command of the person impersonating as Simon. Well bring it alive in your eating as well! Take few bites and say stop during eating. Even when you are having a drink or two, let your mind shout ‘stop’. By building on this exercise, it will help you stop eating when hogging in for the wrong reasons.
Interchange your hands
If your mind is craving for those delicious sweets put up on the table, then there is only one way to stop it! Try your non-usable hand. In this way, it will help you break up the habitual hand-to-mouth flow and give confidence onto reflect about each bite.
Beat up those cravings
Aromas of particular foods like pizzas, burgers etc stimulates the brain and thus makes you hungry and pulls you towards it. In that sense, fight it out! So next time if you are passing by a pizza parlour or a sweet shop, drop-in a chewing gum or a sugar-free mint into your mouth to fight off the salivating hunger.
Practice deep breathing
If the above tips don’t work for you, then here’s a belter of an idea! Try out deep breathing exercise every morning. That’s because by adding oxygen to your brain, it helps you to think more clearly and take better decisions, especially when stress levels are high.
Thus it’s important that one eats better and healthier foods if the cravings of burgers and chocolates alleviate your minds.
Remember, keep in mind of what’s on your platter and take care of every bite you take in!
It’s precious.
