Have you fallen into a pattern of poor pandemic eating habits? Lots of us have over the last year and a half and according to a recent survey, 61% of Americans are trying to break those unhealthy habits they’ve picked up. The mindless snacking and stress eating have led many to gain some unwanted pounds and research shows weight gain during the pandemic is five times higher than during the holidays.
Ready to ditch those unhealthy eating habits once and for all? This advice from nutritionist Keri Glassman can help:
- If you’re mindlessly eating - Create a set schedule for meals and snacks and stick to it. Make the kitchen off-limits during the hours in-between to help stop the grazing when you’re not even hungry.
- If you’re eating larger amounts of food - Practice portion control. Glassman says figuring out how much you need to eat to reach a weight loss goal or maintain your weight is just as important as choosing what to eat.
- If you’re eating emotionally - The first step to controlling it is to identify triggers that lead to emotional eating. Are you downing a bag of chips when work stresses you out? Or consuming all the chocolate in sight after a power struggle with your kid about homework? After you know what triggers you, create a plan of action to combat it. It could be making a healthier food choice, like a portion-controlled bag of air-popped popcorn instead of chips. Or doing something non-food-related, like FaceTiming a friend, when you feel triggered to eat emotionally.
- If you’re snacking non-stop - Choose smart snacks. This nutritionist isn’t saying you have to stop snacking, just that noshing on snacks that are high in fiber, protein and healthy fats is much healthier than candy bars and cookies.
Source: Today
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