Is being stuck at home playing havoc with your eating habits?

Hi Guys:

You may be the type of person who eats when they are stressed or mindlessly snack because there is food readily available or even forgets to eat when you are immersed in work or a project/task. Being home and out of your normal routine can result in changes to your daily nutrition, specifically related to food quality and quantity. More than ever we need to be diligent about making sure we are doing everything in our power to stay healthy!

Many of you are at home spring cleaning, starting new home reno projects and getting to your dusty to do list. Right now is the perfect opportunity to do some spring cleaning in the area of nutrition. 

Here are some strategies that can help:

  1. Have a Plan:
    • Each evening use a food journal or My Fitness Pal to plan your food for the next day. This will help avoid opening the fridge door and grabbing the first thing you see (which is rarely the best thing for your body).
  2. Set a schedule:
    • Knowing when you are going to eat will help you hold off the emotional eating between your planned times. Set reminders or an alarm in your phone to notify you it is time to eat. Make sure you stop whatever task you are doing, set down your phone and sit and enjoy your meal! 
  3. Do Food Prep:
    • This is a great time to try out new recipes and focus on making meal time a highlight of the day. Bring the family into the mix and get them chopping and mixing with you. Share your health recipes on social media and post pictures to help motivate others. 
  4. Use the plate method:
    • Have one half of your plate non-starchy vegetables, one quarter protein and one quarter starchy carbohydrates. Balancing your meals and snacks will ward off cravings. 
  5. Drink water:
    • When you are tempted to eat in between snack time and meals, drink water instead. Often thirst will present itself as hunger. 
  6. Avoid Alcohol
    • Alcohol is full of empty calories, stimulates your appetite and can cause mood swings which can result in emotional eating. 
  7. Get enough sleep:
    • Worry can keep us up at night which actually slows down our body’s metabolism causing us to feel hunger even when we don’t need food. When we are tired often food is where we turn to for energy. Instead set your time for 15 min and lay still somewhere. Even if you don’t nap just putting your body into a rested state will refresh your mind and energy levels. 

Hope this helps and please share any tips and tricks that have helped you keep a healthy relationship with food in this season would be most appreciated.

We are in this together so reach out if you need help!

Caileigh