“I Tried These 5 Tricks To Stop Mindless Snacking At Work”

by | Jul 31, 2018 | Food & Nutrition

Okay, I’m totally guilty of reaching for something sweet to get me through the post-lunch, pre-dinner period. Come 3:30pm all I’m thinking about is how long ago lunch already seems and how much longer I have to wait until dinner. Sound familiar? – The sad thing is, no matter how healthy my ‘deskast’, lunch and dinner prepped meals seem to be, it’s the in-between period snacks that have me falling off my healthy eating plan.

You’ve seen the meme, ‘The definition of insanity is doing the same thing but expecting different results’, right? Well, after seeing it retweeted for the um-teenth time, I decided to challenge myself to fix my bad snacking habits. – Here are a few full proof methods that I discovered…

Tea-licious

After promising myself I’d cut out a mid-afternoon flat white in the name of better sleep, I made an effort to reach for herbal tea instead. Rooibos is my favourite, I drink it black and in copious amounts. It’s amazing how just the simple act of holding a cup of tea can distract your hands and act as a soothing comfort when you’d otherwise be reaching for a snack.

tea

Just keep chewing

There’s a handy trick that I learnt a while ago – brush your teeth straight after dinner to avoid munching on the bad stuff afterwards. There’s something about the clean, minty-fresh taste in your mouth that deters you from wanting to consume sweet or savoury foods, right? Well, you can take this concept with you to the office too. No, you don’t have to be that girl that brushes her teeth in the communal bathroom but I found chewing on some minty, sugar-free gum had the exact same effect.

READ MORE: 3 Delicious Snacks That Are Great For Your Gut

Avoid social media

It’s practically impossible for me to scroll through Instagram without seeing deliciously gooey chocolate brownies or a well-curated trio of gelato scoops. And just like the basic advertising premise of see-it-and-want-it, these little posts are super harmful to your healthy-eating goals. I decided to avoid following these #foodporn accounts as much as possible, and also to bookmark as many glorious summer body inspo posts as I can. A quick glance at my bookmarked feed is a sure reminder of why the brownie isn’t going to be my friend in the long run.

Plating is important

Whether I am snacking or eating lunch, I have made an effort to put it on a real plate. Firstly, this really assists with portion control (especially when it comes to things like popcorn), and secondly, it reminds you that you’re eating. When you scoff something out of the packet, it definitely removes the mindfulness away from the act and sometimes becomes easy to forget that you’ve even eaten.

READ MORE: Can Chewing Gum Instead Of Snacking Really Help You Lose Weight?

Reach for the good stuff

I think most of the time my unhealthy snacks stem from desperation. Either I’ve skipped breakfast that day or I don’t have any healthy snacks on hand. It’s always easy to find a bag of crisps or a chocolate bar but less so when it comes to sourcing a bag of goji berries. I found it really helped to stock my office fridge with a few less perishable fruits like green apples, bananas and oranges. Biltong, almonds and pistachios also keep well in my desk drawer. The trick is not let yourself be empty handed when you feel hungry.

fruit

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This