Do you struggle to avoid eating for no reason at random times of the day? You’re not alone, and there are many contributors to this problem. We’ll help you identify them and offer a few suggestions for how to curb that mindless eating habit!
Manage the Daily Distractions
Perhaps we should call it mindless eating because we allow our minds to become distracted by shiny objects or tasty foods. The idle mind is the devil’s playground, particularly with our appetites. One of the basic countermeasures is to only eat at set times and without “multitasking.” You always eat lower quality food, consume it too fast, and too often, when you eat while distracted.
Keep Track of How Much You Eat
We always recommend this at Island Fin Poké since we have a nutritional calculator that can tabulate all the calories you consume with us. It’s wise to keep tabs on what you eat so that you don’t go way past your caloric baseline or get into trouble with too much sugar, sodium, etc.
Determine What Leads You to Become Hungry
Did you know that thirstiness often masquerades as hunger? Sometimes, when you’re experiencing dehydration, it’s easy to mistake the problem for hunger. At any event, you’ll want to know what environmental or biological circumstances trigger your appetite. If, for example, you always eat junk food when you’re stressed, then you can address mindless eating by focusing on the root causes of your stress.
Practice Boundaries With Food
Many folks do better when they eat at a set time. Give yourself a range of hours for when you would eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and adhere to those parameters. Also, food boundaries include how often you’ll allow yourself a “cheat meal” if you’re on a diet. Remember that the goal is to instill discipline without being unduly harsh with yourself.
Add More Protein to Your Meals
Protein can help you feel full faster and for longer. It will reduce your level of the hunger hormone ghrelin, while boosting your levels of peptide YY, which is a hormone that makes you feel full. Ensuring that you have adequate amounts of protein in your breakfast, lunch, and dinner will help in curbing those snacks between your main meals. Here at Island Fin Poké, the majority of our delicious seafood and chicken poké bowls have well over 25g of protein!
If you’d like to curb mindless eating and enjoy a more delicious and purposeful meal, then we invite you to visit us at Island Fin Poké in Downers Grove. Our fantastic Hawaiian poké menu gives you plenty of whole-food options without having to wait a long time at a restaurant. Contact us anytime to learn more about poké, healthy eating, or any of our other services at 630-324-6110.