Mindful Eating Supports Proper Hormone Release

Many people find it difficult to control their appetite, especially with today’s ever increasing portion sizes and fast paced lifestyle. Where an occasional snack will not cause much harm, consistently eating out of boredom can lead to negative outcomes. Nowadays, food has become as much a source of entertainment as it is daily nourishment.

Boredom is a creative privilege, but it can become a curse is you are trying to manage your weight and improve your overall health. When you turn off your brain, you turn on an autopilot that you can’t trust. Moreover, mindful eating can positively effect hunger hormone production and release, which plays a role in appetite regulation.

Occasional snacking for no reason can be okay…

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. However, mindfulness is essential in helping you be more aware of bad eating habits, food triggers, and other causes of boredom.:

• Fresh Veggie Snacks – Keeping cut vegetables in the refrigerator can help you manage boredom eating. Although you may not really be hungry, you might as well eat something that compliments your daily food intake.
• Plain Popcorn Snacks – Avoid adding butter and salt to make popcorn the ultimate high-volume snack. There are plenty of brands that offer pre-packaged popcorn that is ready to eat and lower in calories.
• Eat Mindfully – Mindful eating allows you to measure your snack in terms of how it influences your well-being, which shifts the intention from filling up to feeling full of energy with a restored sense of vitality.
• Healthy Fruit Snacks – Raspberries and berries in general tend to have exceptional fiber content that promotes satiety, improve digestion, and provide a variety of health benefits without making other lifestyle changes.

Boredom eating may not result in satisfaction…

Where physical hunger can easily be satisfied, boredom eating may not trigger any feelings of satisfaction, which explains how emotional eating can lead to eating too much and too often. Some people who overeat have a clinical disorder called binge eating disorder where they compulsively eat large amounts of food in a short time and feel guilty afterward.

Boredom eating is often triggered by sudden food cravings. Feeling uninterested in a task at hand can lead to boredom. In fact, boredom can occur even when you feel energetic but are unsatisfied by an activity and have nowhere to direct your energy. Even re-focusing on the task at hand can be an effective distraction.

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.