Eating While Bored? Here’s How to Kick the Habit

by admin | Sep 2, 2020 | Health Awareness

Eating habits can be driven by many factors, including stress, boredom, and real hunger. Snacking outside of your true hunger cues can cause you to take in extra calories, and will likely have you reaching for “comfort foods” with little nutritional value. Here’s what you can do to adopt more mindful eating habits.

The Cause of Boredom-Based Eating

Eating during periods of boredom is actually a type of emotional eating. While physical hunger drives a need for sustenance, emotional eating prompts a specific craving. Moreover, with emotional eating, it can take longer to feel satisfied (sometimes, up to 20 minutes). Physical hunger, on the other hand, can typically be quelled quickly. While physical hunger may begin with a rumbling in your stomach, emotional hunger is triggered by the brain.

You might also find yourself eating while stressed. Like eating while bored, eating while stressed acts as a distraction. Cravings are driven by dopamine, the feel-good hormones which are released when you eat something delicious. Boredom or stress can prompt us to go looking for a pick-me-up, or dopamine release, and oftentimes, snacking is the quickest fix.

How to Stop Eating While Bored

Fortunately, there are ways to stop using emotional eating as a coping mechanism for stress, boredom, or other challenges. First, you must start by identifying whether you are indeed an emotional eater. Consider creating a food diary to track your eating habits. Don’t just write down what you ate and when, however. Also write down how you felt: On a scale of 1-10, how physically hungry did you feel at the time? How long had it been since your last meal or snack? Were you experiencing listlessness or any type of stress? Perhaps you had just had an argument with a loved one — keep track of all this information to look for patterns in your eating habits.

If you suspect that you are an emotional eater, the next step is to start practicing mindful eating. This is simply the process of recognizing your emotions and physical state. By bringing awareness to these factors, you can begin asking yourself whether you’re really hungry, or if you’re experiencing boredom or emotional turmoil instead. If you are indeed hungry, pause and observe your body’s natural cues. Legitimate hunger can be satisfied with healthy choices, and especially protein-rich foods such as eggs, nut butter, beans, and lean protein. Round out your meal or snack with a healthy carbohydrate, like whole grain toast, apple slices, or wheat pasta.

As you’re eating, try to take it slowly, savoring every bite. Limit distractions; for instance, try to avoid eating while watching TV or scrolling through social media. Eat until your hunger is satisfied and you feel full.

In addition, you can get out of the habit of eating while bored by planning your meals out in advance. Have ingredients for healthy dishes on hand and prep food early enough so that you’re not feeling famished by the time your next meal is ready. You can also prepare nutritious breakfasts and lunches in advance, such as smoothies, overnight oats, and delicious salads.

Also, make sure you’re staying hydrated. Sometimes, thirst can be confused for hunger. Dehydration can produce signals similar to those of hunger, so drink a glass of water if you’re feeling hungry despite having eaten fairly recently.

Finally, you can also try going for a walk, doing a quick yoga routine, or finding another healthy distraction if you’re really struggling to stay away from the fridge. While these tactics may just seem like other distractions from boredom or stress, they can also help to clear your mind in a healthy way. Learning to practice mindful eating isn’t something that happens overnight. Yet, with patience and reflection, you can become more in tune with your body and its true needs.  

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What Are the Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar?

by admin | Jul 13, 2020 | Health Awareness

While home remedies shouldn’t replace medical treatment when it comes to addressing ailments, there are many natural products right in your pantry which could deliver noteworthy health benefits. In particular, apple cider vinegar (ACV) is one ingredient hailed for its wellness-boosting properties. Discover some of the most common advantages of ACV below.

Supports Weight Loss

There’s no magic solution that can replace diet and exercise. Yet, ACV could help to boost weight loss results when combined with healthy eating and regular physical activity. In a 2009 study, participants who had one to two tablespoons of the vinegar each day had lower body fat, weight, and waist circumference than their peers. This could be due to the fact that ACV can help curb your appetite by making you feel full quicker.

Helps Control Blood Sugar

High blood sugar is a precursor to type 2 diabetes. It occurs when the body either can’t use insulin properly or has too little insulin. According to research, ACV could help to reduce glucose and insulin production after meals, and therefore aid in controlling blood sugar. Simply mixing an ACV dressing into your salad could be an effective supplement to ongoing diabetes management or prevention strategies.

Fights Illness

Finally, ACV has been shown to help reduce the risk of or aid in the control of several conditions, including:

• Heart disease. In one study, results showed that eating a salad with vinegar-based dressings led to a decreased risk of the condition.
• PCOS. Research shows that ACV could help achieve normal ovarian function and menstrual cycles in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
• Acne. With its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, ACV may help to reduce acne and other skin issues when applied topically.

In addition to the health benefits above, many people use ACV as an all-natural cleaning agent. While the potential applications of the solution span far and wide, it’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor before incorporating any new natural remedies into your routine.

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Which Fruits & Vegetables Could Reduce Menopause Symptoms?

by admin | Mar 24, 2020 | Health Awareness

We’re often told that a healthy diet is key to improving wellness and feeling our best. While it may not eradicate symptoms altogether, proper nutrition plays an important role in managing certain health frustrations, including the signs of menopause.

As you might imagine, one of the best ways to get ample vitamins and minerals to improve overall wellness is through plenty of fruits and vegetables. Yet, new research published in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society, suggests there are some specific choices that may have a better impact on alleviating menopausal symptoms than others.

Diet & Menopause

Previous research has indicated that certain foods influence the production of estrogen and metabolism, which can, therefore, have an effect on the severity of menopause. Specifically, diets rich in vegetables, fruits, and nuts, such as the Mediterranean diet, have been associated with fewer symptoms and complaints by women of menopausal age. Based on these findings, researchers sought out to determine whether certain vegetables and fruits could aid in reducing menopause symptoms more than others. According to their findings, the following foods appeared to improve urogenital scores, which encompass factors like urinary incontinence and vaginal atrophy.

• Citrus Fruits: Oranges often come to mind as the primary citrus fruits, but you can also incorporate grapefruit, clementine, and tangerines into your diet. When possible, incorporate lemon and limes into your cooking, too.
• Leafy Greens: Spruce up your salads by swapping out iceberg for Swiss chard, arugula, spinach, and curly kale. These leafy greens pack a powerful dose of nutrients despite having very few calories.
• Dark Yellow Vegetables: Look for in-season yellow vegetables next time you browse your local farmer’s market. Yellow bell peppers, squash, and golden beets are all excellent choices that can easily be incorporated into dishes like stir-fries or salads.

Although the effects of these dietary choices may vary from one woman to the next, anyone seeking simple lifestyle tactics to help control the symptoms of menopause may find it worthwhile to give these fruits and vegetables a try. At the very least, you’ll be getting a hefty dose of nutrients to support better overall health anyway. For more health awareness blogs, visit our blog page at https://stemedix.com/blog/.