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How you can train your mind to leave bad eating habits behind

Do you over eat or under eat? Or do you simply not care about or take notice of what you eat?


Food is delicious, there is no denying that. However there are so many people all over the world who struggle to maintain a healthy relationship with it.


Today, I will be discussing some helpful and effective ways of developing a healthy relationship between the food you consume and your body.


Friends and Pizza. Source: Wix


Firstly in order to want to change your unhealthy eating habit, you should know about some of the consequences over-eating and under-eating may bring.


Food is essential, food is energy.


The frequent continuation of both over-eating and under-eating can lead to serious health issues that no-one wants.


When you choose to deprive yourself of food, you are depriving yourself of the essential nutrients your brain and body need to properly function.


Under-eating can lead to many serious health issues such as a decrease in focus and awareness, bone loss and weakness, and even counteractively causing weight gain.


.....


So if you are depriving yourself of food to lose weight, this may not be the best way to go.

 

Quality over quantity.


When it comes to food I like to think of quality over quantity.


Eating the right foods majority of the time not only supports your overall health but helps you stay fuller for longer.


By ensuring we are getting that feeling of "fullness" this helps decrease the urge of wanting to eat more.


Over-eating for a continued period of time can lead to serious health conditions. Other than causing unwanted weight gain, frequent over-eating can potentially lead to developing health issues such as cancer.


"Consuming more calories than you burn may cause you to become overweight or obese. This increases your risk for cancer and other chronic health problems," Kellie Bramlet Blackburn, MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2018.
 

Eating for one. Source: Wix

 

Personal experience


Last month I was really struggling with over eating. In one way, I kept telling myself I am still young and can burn the food off easily so there is nothing to worry about. However this was not the best mindset to have.


As someone who studied food studies for six years throughout high school, I knew that if I continued to over eat besides still being young, this could create serious problems for me in my future.


I knew I had to find a way to stop. Here are my five main things that helped me get back on track to a healthier eating lifestyle.

 

Five ways to a healthier eating mindset


1. Intermediate fasting (Help stop over-eating)


Intermediate fasting (fasting for a certain amount of time each day) is a super useful tool to help stop over-eating.


You can easily download a fasting tracker app on your phone. It won't force you to do anything but it supports you with helpful tips such as explaining the difference between emotional and physical hunger.


 

2. The 20/80 diet rule (create a more positive eating mindset)


Another useful diet tool is to go by the 80/20 rule.


This means eating healthy and nutritious 80 percent of the time and eating whatever you want 20 percent of the time.


This is a nice and simple rule to follow to help ensure you are getting all the nutrients you need whilst also still enjoying your favourite foods every now and then.


This also helps you have a more positive mindset towards the food you consume... This way you're not being too restrictive and still enjoying the sweet treats in life.


More information on this can be found here.


 

3. Distract your brain, train your brain (Avoiding emotional hunger and learning to not be afraid of calories)


Distract your brain


A simple thing you can do is distract yourself from thinking about food.


If you keep your brain active by studying, doing chores, going for a walk or hanging out with friend, that is more time you can distract your brain from thinking you're hungry, when in reality you're not.


There is a difference between emotional hunger and actual physical hunger.


If your stomach is growling then it is your body telling you to eat. This is physical hunger.

However if you feel a certain craving towards something in particular, this is usually triggered by emotional hunger where your body may not actually be hungry.

 

Train your brain


On the other hand, if your bad eating habit is under-eating, you can train your brain to not count calories or be afraid of food anymore.


One youtuber I find very inspirational is Rebecca Jane. She has struggled with an eating disorder most of her life and now posts videos of her journey overcoming the fear of basically consuming calories.



 

4. Drink more water and tea (Stay fuller for longer)


When you drink water or tea with no milk or sugar you are not actually consuming any calories.


You will notice a common intermediate fasting tip is to drink lots of water or tea to ensure you stay full and push through your fasting period.


Staying fuller for longer by drinking water and tea regularly may help aid in the prevention of over-eating.

"It takes approximately 20 minutes from the time you start eating for your brain to send out signals of fullness." - Kathleen M. Zelman, nutritionsit, dietitioan, and commincations expert
 

5. Watch more expert opinion videos on nutrition and health


One of the most effective things you can do is watch informative videos about the food you consume.


Listening to short 10 to 15 minute expert opinion videos about the importance of nutrition is a great way to help change your overall mindset that is causing a bad eating habit.


Helpful (TedTalk) videos that can help change your mindset for the better

 

Conclusion


Cutting away bad eating habits may be a struggle at first but trust me, over time it gets easier.


The more we train our mind and body to get rid of that bad thing that is controlling us, the more we will start to see healthy progress and growth.


So the next time you eat a meal with friends or loved ones, eat to enjoy it. Don't judge yourself or others over what you have chosen to eat.


If you ever find yourself struggling with over-eating, under-eating or feeling guilty after having a treat, just remember the five tips you just read and start using them in your day to day lives.

 

If you or anyone you know is experiencing a eating disorder please don't hesitate to contact any of these helplines:


Butterfly foundation (national eating disorder helpline): 1800 33 4673

Eating disorders Victoria: 1300 550 236




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