If you’re in lockdown defy the ‘choc-down’
HAVE you already eaten your way through all your quarantine snacks?
We’re all adapting to life in lockdown to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, but staying home with 24/7 access to the kitchen is proving difficult for many. Life now consists of sleeping, eating, watching TV and more eating.
This urge to constantly eat is further fuelled by our stress and anxiety.
Before you know it, that tub of ice cream and block of chocolate will become a daily habit.
While these foods spike your happiness momentarily, they don’t help you solve your problems in the long term.
If you find yourself turning to food, it’s probably no big deal.
But if you’re emotionally eating regularly, you could be on your way to a host of unwanted problems.
Here are some of dietitian Melissa Meier’s top tips to help break the emotional eating cycle.
1. Rate your hunger Tuning into your hunger and satiety cues is a game changer when trying to combat nonhungry eating. And it’s pretty simple: before you start shovelling food into your mouth, take a second to rate how hungry you feel in that very moment. Think: zero is no hunger, plus five is the type of fullness you feel on Christmas Day, and minus five is the type of hunger you’d feel at 6pm if you hadn’t eaten all day.
This can help distinguish genuine hunger from the desire to eat food just for the sake of it.
2. Eat mindfully
If you realise that you’re actually hungry (your stomach is grumbling or you’re feeling low on energy), the next step is to eat in a mindful way.
That means being present in the moment, rather than replying to emails, scrolling on Instagram or catching up on reality TV.
With each mouthful, take the time to pay attention to your chewing as well as the different textures and tastes of what you’re eating.
3. Learn the triggers People turn to food to help them cope with lots of different emotions – like stress, boredom or loneliness, for example. So, it can be super helpful to learn what your unique triggers are and put in place mechanisms to help you deal with them.
If you turn to food when you’re feeling lonely, for instance, pick up the phone and call your mum or best friend. Likewise, if you’re frustrated, head outside for five minutes of fresh air, and if you’re angry, start to incorporate stress-relieving activities in your weekly routine. You get the picture.
4. Don’t buy ‘junk’
If you’re finding it really hard to resist the packet of chocolate biscuits in your cupboard, simply stop buying them. Same goes for the chips or jelly snakes you have in your pantry ‘just because’. Think of these foods as occasional treats, rather than weekly staples. If they’re not in your house, it’ll be harder to reach for them.
5. Get moving
It’s a proven fact: exercise makes you feel good and helps to relieve stress. So, if your emotions are getting the best of you, having a regular sweat session could be your golden ticket. There are plenty of gyms and apps that are now streaming workouts online so you can literally work up a sweat in your living room.