Plan Healthy Protein Snack to Avert Boredom

Most traditional snacks only satisfy your hunger momentarily. By snacking on healthy foods, you will be satiated longer, and your attention will not be fixated on what your next snack should be. For some, junk food is a band-aid that distracts them from whatever boring situation that is triggering their feelings. Unfortunately, a distraction is not a solution and does not actually fix the problem.

Whether you are stuck in a waiting room or just waiting for the workday to end, boredom can trigger an irresistible urge to eat something. To reduce the tendency for your attention to become fixated on what your next snack is going to be, try eating more lean protein and healthy fats at meal time.

A protein shake or handful of nuts can be a healthy treat…

Eating your favorite treat only temporarily blocks the boredom. Rather than end up feeling worse than before, see how the strategies discussed below can help you manage emotional eating:

• Practice Mindful Eating – Compulsive eating allows you to eat without being consciously aware of what you are doing. Boredom is a natural trigger for mindless eating when you are not hungry.
• Plan Your Snacks – Eating can feel entertaining, especially if you lack pleasure from what you’re doing. Plan for healthy snacks and it can be a source of excitement.
• Get Plenty of Rest – Hormones are produced and released while you sleep. When your hormones are not well balanced, you are more likely to experience food cravings that are not based on true hunger.
• Move, Move, & Move – Any type of physical activity will eliminate boredom. You don’t even have to break a sweat. Work in the yard for a few minutes or talk a short walk to keep a repetitive task from becoming painfully boring.

Boredom is an aversive state of craving excitement…

Although people may eat less when faced with life events, it is easy to turn to mindless eating when you are simply bored. However, boredom eating can be damaging to your health and learning to recognize its triggers important for you well-being. To prevent boredom eating and keep food cravings away, you need to find solutions that provide a more lasting meaning or present a true challenge.

Boredom is an aversive state of wanting that occurs when your attention networks are unable to engage in a satisfying activity. Fact is people generally prefer doing something to doing nothing at all. But, boredom makes it incredibly easy to daydream about a special food craving that would make your present more exciting.

Staying busy and staying positive in the moment are great ways to combat the ill-effects of boredom eating. At Metabolic Research Center, we have over thirty years of experience in helping clients manage the emotional side of food consumption.