re you fed up because you cannot control your eating habits? This article will present strategies to avoid overeating. First you need to understand why you overeat. It will then become easier to overcome it.
Why Do We Overeat?
Nowadays obesity is a big problem worldwide. The major reason for this is unhealthy eating habits. People are eating unhealthy foods. And they are overeating. That is why most of them are overweight.
Here is the number one reason why people overeat. People are eating for reward, not for nutrition. People mostly eat processed foods. The combination of fat, salt and sugar in such foods stimulates the brain. This combination, stimulates the reward areas of the brain.
You get the feelings of thrill after eating such food. This will make people come back to food again and again. We will turn to food for comfort. We feel nice and happy stuffing food in our mouths.
American food is all processed food. That is why it is difficult to control it. The reward areas of your brain are stimulated, and you want more food. Once addicted, it is difficult to control oneself.
Not only that, we eat at anytime of day and night. There are no rules or timings for eating. This is again a big mistake. We have put food at every nook and corner. You will find bakeries, restaurants and eateries everywhere. Wherever you go, food is always in sight.
Food is available to us 24/7. We don’t need to go far for it. We have actually turned food into entertainment. We eat for pleasure and for fun. If you notice the French, you may be surprised. They have strict rules regarding eating. They don’t eat anytime they like.
They usually eat only during meals. This is a very good habit. It will prevent people from eating unhealthy snacks. That is why, obesity is not a big problem for the French. Their healthy eating habits serve them well.
Food is powerful not just because of taste. It becomes more powerful because of the memories associated with it. If you enjoyed a tasty meal, you will remember a lot of details. Just remembering that experience can make your mouth water.
The same settings, location, smell or sight can trigger the urge to eat. Walking by your favorite restaurant can make want to buy something. The memory of earlier times can be a powerful stimulant.
How to Control Overeating?
We now understand why we overeat. Let us now see how to control this habit. It is not very easy, but certainly can be done. If you have strong resolve you can do it. I show you 2 ways to stop overeating.
Firstly you need to stop eating processed food. It is not possible to completely stop this. But you can avoid processed food as much as possible. Remember, all processed food may not be bad. In some cases it is more healthy. But in lot of cases, it is not the best option.
I mentioned how processed food stimulates reward centers of the brain. This creates good feelings within us, when we eat. So naturally, we will turn to food repeatedly for comfort. But eating food is not going to solve our problems. So, minimize eating processed foods to overcome this problem.
Second step is to control how much you eat. It is natural to enjoy tasty food. Eating can be a pleasurable activity. There is no harm in that. But we have to eat within limitations. If we eat in less quantity, it should pose any problems.
So the formula is very simple. Eat the foods that you want, but within limitations. Eat in small portion sizes. And do not eat much between meals. Remember the example of French people. They generally eat just during meals. This is a good habit to develop within ourselves. Occasional snacks may be fine, but not too much.
Following the above 2 strategies can help you a lot. We have delved quite deeply into the topic of overeating. We have firstly seen why we overeat. Then I presented 2 strategies to avoid overeating. It is now upto you to benefit from this knowledge.