Boredom Eating Happens in Response to Stressors

Taking note of one’s mindset is essential to avoiding boredom eating. Researchers say emotional eating most often happens as a response to loneliness, boredom, or stressors like anxiety or anger. If you feel bored and eat to escape self-awareness of negative feelings, it most likely will result in poor food choices. Since you can’t avoid experiencing feelings, perceiving healthy foods as exciting snacks can temper the ill effects of boredom eating. When you turn off your brain, you turn on an autopilot that you can’t trust. You don’t have to worry about reaching for chips or cookies until the bag is empty if you choose to prepare healthy snacks ahead of time.

Not eating when you're bored might seem difficult at first…

On occasion, snacking for reasons other than hunger is just fine, as long as you maintain control of your daily energy intake and make healthy food choices. If you enjoy snacking when you watch TV, eat healthy snacks that add protein and nutrients to daily food intake:

• Fresh Veggie Snacks – A few of the healthier choices for snacking include jicama sticks, baby carrots, cucumber slices, and sugar snap peas. Use a spicy homemade salsa for a dipping sauce.
• Plain Popcorn Snacks – When air-popped, popcorn has only trace amounts of saturated fats. Since microwave popcorn most often contains hydrogenated oils, it is not the same as air-popped popcorn.
• Eat Mindfully – If you were driven to eat out of boredom, do not create other distractions while eating. Focus all of your attention on the experience of eating a nutritionally healthy meal or snack.
• Healthy Fruit Snacks – Since fresh fruit should be part of a healthy menu plan, it is a good choice for keeping you full between meals and the natural sugar makes it a satisfying substitute for sweet cravings.

Boredom often functions the same as other stressors…

Stressors pile up during the day and before you know it you are craving a snack or treat. At that time, try drinking a glass of water or take a short walk followed by a cup of your favorite tea. Although boredom is not an official emotional, boredom eating often functions in the same way as eating when stressed or anxious. Since food tends to make us feel good, it easy to turn to mindless eating when you are bored. You can feel bored even on the job or when performing activities at home that appear to be meaningful in many ways When you feel bored, remind yourself why you are doing the task at hand.

At Metabolic Research Center, we teach you how to use food strategies to your advantage. If you spend a little more time planning ahead, when you shop for groceries, you are more likely to fill your basket with nutritious foods for meals and snacks.