The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
How to avoid food temptation
To embrace healthy eating habits, you need a plan to deal with the temptations you face every day. But first, let’s clear away the biggest myth that may be keeping you from making progress ...
Willpower alone won’t cut it. No matter how determined, chances are you can’t endlessly tough it out. You need a strategy, not an iron will, to resist temptations.
Now, let’s build your strategy for success:
No. 1 Take charge of your surroundings. If there’s always junk food at work, make sure you have healthful snacks on hand. Pack baggies with trail mix, nuts, veggie slices, even 1-ounce chunks of 70 percent dark chocolate.
No. 2 Do a pantry/shelf sweep. If you have treacherous temptations on your kitchen shelves, banish them. And if your partner insists on keeping them in the house, sequester them somewhere you can avoid seeing them. Out of sight, out of mind.
No. 3 Avoid “hunger panic.” If you’ve got a busy day with no time for meals, are on the road a lot or headed into new territory, prepare and pack up lunch, snacks, beverages and even dinner, if needed.
No. 4 Talk to your friends and family about your goal. Enlist an AT (Avoid Temptations) Buddy. You can work together by exchanging daily reports on how you’re doing, sharing healthful snacks at work or home, even preparing healthful foods together as co-chefs.
No. 5 Build in rewards. Slowroast strawberries and almonds and stir into nonfat Greek yogurt. Drizzle melted 70 percent cacao dark chocolate over orange slices. Puree mangoes, pineapple and/or papayas, and freeze the juicy goodness for an icy dessert.
No. 6 Forgive if you forget. Don’t beat yourself up for backsliding. And if you do give in, make an effort to limit your intake. As Dr. Oz says, “It’s not the first two bites that will do you in; it’s the 14th and 15th!”
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.