With the wealth of information now available at our fingertips, we all know what foods to eat and not to eat for good health and nutrition. Eat whole, nutritious foods like vegetables and avoid foods like sweets and chips. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Yet there are still millions of people who are overweight or obese worldwide.

But the problem isn’t information, it’s mindless eating. Because we’re often caught up with things like working, driving, watching television and fiddling with phones or gagdets, we tend not to be aware of what and when we’re eating. And it is this mindless eating that may be driving obesity and other health issues in people.

Reasons behind mindless eating

Learning what causes mindless eating is a good first step to changing bad eating habits for good. Check out the most common reasons people eat mindlessly:

1. You’re too busy to eat – Working a demanding job can cause you to eat either too little or too much. People with busy schedules tend to forgo proper meals because other things take priority.
2. You don’t have an eating schedule – Eating at irregular times each day or skipping meals entirely sets you up for mindless snacking throughout the day, which can lead to obesity, constipation and other health problems.
3. You feel that cooking takes too much effort – Some people favor frequent snacking over regular meals because they feel intimidated by the misconception that cooking requires time and effort.
4. You cut back or limit your food intake – Following fad diets that require you to eat a set number of calories or allow only very few foods can lead to feelings of deprivation or cause you to starve. Either way, you’re setting yourself up for an episode of mindless eating.
5. You don’t lack for snacks – It’s easy to graze throughout the day when your fridge or pantries are full of chips, sweets and other junk.
6. You eat foods that aren’t filling – Processed foods lack essential nutrients like fiber and protein that keep you full. You’ll need to eat a lot of those foods to even feel half-full.
7. You have lots of food to choose from – Research shows people can eat up to 23 percent more when they have a wider variety of food options.
8. You often feel hungry – Stress and fatigue can mess up your hunger and satiety signals, which means you may feel hungry even when you aren’t actually hungry. This sets you up for binge eating.
9. You dine with other people – Research shows that people ate up to 48 percent more food when they dined with others compared to those who ate alone. This is because eating with others is more enjoyable than eating alone.
10. You’re stressed – Some people reach for food to cope with stressful situations. However, eating to get rid of negative feelings is a dangerous habit because it can lead to an eating disorder.

Tips for mindful eating

Mindful eating isn’t about eating the right foods all the time or never eating on-the-go again. It’s also not about you sticking to a calorie count either. Rather, it’s about being mindful as you shop for, cook and eat your food.

This means being more attuned to your body and its needs. By paying close attention to how you feel as you eat–the texture and taste of each mouthful, your body’s hunger and fullness signals–you can learn to savor not only your food but also your experience of eating. Additionally, eating mindfully helps you to:

• Avoid overeating
• Enjoy a healthier life
• Improve your digestion
• Reduce stress and anxiety
• Make healthier food choices

Here are some tips for eating more mindfully:

1. Use visual reminders – Behavioral studies have shown that people tend to rely on visual cues, such as chicken bones or half-filled bowls of soup, to decide whether they are full or still hungry. You can use this natural tendency to your advantage by keeping evidence of what you eat in front of you.
2. Use smaller plates and taller glasses – You’re more likely to overeat if you use large plates. An easy way to ease yourself into eating smaller portions is to use smaller plates. Additionally, studies have shown that using tall glasses lowers the amount of liquids you pour yourself by 57 percent.
3. Decrease variety – If having a wide variety of food options makes you more likely to overeat, then just decrease that variety. Make sure your meals still have all the important food groups covered.
4. Keep junk food out of the house – As the expression goes, “out of sight, out of mind.” Save yourself the trouble of resisting cravings by keeping them out of your house. Don’t stock your pantries with chips, sweets, sweetened drinks and the like.
5. Take your time eating – Engage all of your senses when you’re cooking and eating your food. Look at the vibrant color of your vegetables, savor the aroma of your meat stock or listen to the crunch of freshly baked bread. Take your sweet time eating and you’ll have a healthier relationship with food.
6. Eat according to your inner clock – Eat only when your body tells you it is hungry. Remember: real hunger doesn’t discriminate between foods. So if you feel hungry but want to eat a specific food, chances are you aren’t really hungry.
7. Steer clear of “health foods” – “Low-fat,” “zero-calorie” and “sugar-free” foods are usually touted as health foods despite having additives and artificial sweeteners. And since these foods are labeled healthy, people may feel at ease eating more of them.
8. Maximize food volume – One way to curb hunger and avoid mindlessly eating is by maximizing food volume without increasing calorie content. That means picking up more low-calorie fiber-rich foods like cucumber, celery and leafy greens. The fiber and water in these foods will keep you full for longer.

The stress of everyday life can cause mindless eating, or eating even when you’re not hungry. This can result in obesity and other health problems. Fortunately, you can curb mindless eating by being more present when you eat. Chew slowly, use smaller portions and take the time to really savor the sensation of eating.

Sources:

PsychologyToday.com

ScienceDaily.com

Healthline.com