8 Small Ways To Change Your Eating Habits In A Big Way

8 Small Ways To Change Your Eating Habits In A Big Way

10 July 2019

Controlling what you eat isn't as hard as you might think. There are several little tricks that can help you to gradually alter your eating habits without it feeling like work at all. None of these tips are too taxing, but over time, you'll see a big difference in how you eat and plan meals.

Controlling what you eat isn't as hard as you might think. There are several little tricks that can help you to gradually alter your eating habits without it feeling like work at all.

None of these tips are too taxing, but over time, you'll see a big difference in how you eat and plan meals.

1. Smaller plates

Using smaller plates is a great way to trick yourself into thinking you're eating more than you are. Giving yourself less space to pile on food also helps to control your portions. The same applies with glasses - if you drink from a tall glass, it will appear to hold more liquid than it actually does.

2. Don't get distracted

According to several studies, people who watch TV or use their smartphone while they eat are likely to consume more food overall. Substitute these distractions with some background music and limit multi-tasking to keep control of how much you eat. 

3. Start every meal with water

Drinking water will keep you hydrated and filling your stomach with water will help to prevent overeating by slightly filling you up.  Sometimes it's dehydration that's tricking you into thinking you're hungry, so drinking water could stop you wanting a snack altogether.

4. Veggie substitutes

Vegetables help you to take control of your calorie intake while still filling you up. Whenever possible, try to replace half of the ground meat you would normally use to cook a particular dish with a vegetable of choice. This also helps towards lowering portions of less healthy foods.

5. Eat slowly

As odd as it seems, it takes around 20 minutes from when you started eating for your brain to realise that you're full. Your stomach sends signals to indicate you're full to the brain, but you won't know this until they get there - leading to overeating. You should take your time with meals to make sure this doesn't happen.

6. Don't eat from boxes or bags

Big boxes and bags of crisps or other snacks are often designed to serve several people, and the box you're eating from will not provide you with a natural stopping point, so it's hard to gauge how much you're eating. Try separating out those bags into several smaller portions to get a clear idea of how much you're eating.

7. Do your shopping on Fridays after work

After a long week's work, this may be the last thing you want to do, but it helps to keep you on the right track for a healthier diet. Having no food in the house is the perfect excuse to order a takeaway over the weekend, so to avoid being tempted, make sure you're well-stocked. This will allow you to both save money and keep a healthier diet.

8. Healthy delivery

Not all food delivery is bad, though. To save the time that you would spend shopping after work and still get what you need to stick to a diet, you could always use a better body healthy food delivery service. This lets you choose a healthy menu plan and have the foods you need, delivered right to your door - avoiding the temptation to buy naughty treats when shopping in supermarkets.

These tips may not seem like much, but turn these tips into a routine and over time, you will start to approach meal times a lot differently. These tips will help you to make a healthy diet feel like the norm, and condition you to keep going without succumbing to unhealthy temptations.