Boredom Can Trigger Creative Cravings for Food

To put it mildly, you are living at time that is difficult to navigate and is filled with stressors that can trigger boredom eating. Eating feels good because your brain releases feel-good chemicals. Just choose wholesome snacks that help manage hunger. If there are foods that you start eating and quite literally can’t stop until the container is empty, keep them out of your cupboard and fridge.

Unfortunately, boredom can easily lead to overeating, usually from unconscious eating when food or snacks is readily available. If you prepare snacks ahead of time, you can control portion size and nutritional content. Nonetheless, boredom eating is a major contributor to unintentional weight gain.

It is easy to react to triggers when you are bored…

The moment you notice a food craving or desire for boredom eating, minimize multi-tasking or distractions while eating, and make sure you enjoy every bite. Although healthy snacks can be incorporated into your plans for food intake, eating because you are bored can be effectively managed with a healthier distraction. Here’s some strategies for combatting boredom eating:

• Do Something Fun – Boredom eating is using food to feel better. Unfortunately, it doesn’t fix the problem. Excite yourself with a brief walk or dance to some music.
• Brush Your Teeth – Sometimes a little boredom can trigger an oral fixation that can lead to unwanted food cravings. The action of brushing your teeth or chewing a stick of gum can exercise your jaw muscles about the same as scarfing down a fast food snack.
• Make Sure You’re Hydrated – Regardless of whether you are thirsty or not, health experts believe that you should sip on water throughout the day. Called the “8x8 Rule”, you should aim for consuming eight 8-ounces glasses (about ½ a gallon) water every day.
• Add a Protein Snack – If you find yourself craving food between meals, you may not be consuming the right kinds of food at meal time. High fiber foods combined with lean proteins will keep you full longer than foods with empty calories.

Hunger is a biological response to your need for food…

The desire for a particular food item can be powerful and has the ability to fully consume your thoughts, but cravings will go away if you simply wait them out. Unfortunately, people rarely do, so it is important to find a suitable distraction. Appetite is a level of desire to eat. It is distinct from hunger, which is the body’s biological response to a lack of food.

Mindless creativity explains why you can have an appetite even if your body is not really hungry for the food you crave. It is important that you do not confuse relaxation with boredom. When you notice food cravings or feel uncomfortable due to boredom, rather than eat try sitting with your eyes closed and allow your mind to wander without distractions like music.

The bottom line is that higher protein intake can be beneficial for many people. At Metabolic Research Center, we show you how increasing protein and decreasing intake of carbohydrates and highly processed foods can result in reduced food cravings.