6 Tips to Great Eating Habits

1. Avoid eating when stressed. This can lead to binge eating; when we are stressed, we may tend to let our emotions drive our decisions and we may eat a lot more than we planned on.

2. Keep your metabolism working by eating consistently throughout the day.  Eat often and make the portions smaller. Instead of having three big meals, reduce your regular meal portion by 20% and add healthy snacks in between, such as fruit, veggies, or low fat yogurt.

3. Sit down at the table and eat slowly.  When we rush through our meals we end up consuming more food than if we were to eat slower. The reason? When we pace ourselves our brain has more time to register when the stomach is full, and consequently can let us know when to stop.

4. Learn to listen to your body which will tell you when you are full; don’t use a “clean & empty” plate as a sign to stop eating. It is known that most of us rely on external cues to tell us when we are full. Instead of continuing eating until your plate is empty, ask yourself half way through your meal “am I getting full?” Consider this: do you know that the average restaurant plate size has grown over the past decade. Try and reduce your portion sizes by 20% and give up second helpings.

5. Eat only when you are hungry: Beware of boredom eating or emotional eating.

6. Drink lots and lots of water: Water is more important for us than you can imagine. All our organs function much better when hydrated; it helps the kidneys flush out toxins and not only does it satisfy thirst it can even help you maintain your weight or help weight loss because it reduces your appetite by filling your stomach.

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”

Jim Rohn