Here are a few quick nutrition tips that help improve metabolism, eating habits, and one's
relationship with food.
1. Eat mindfully
Begin to pay more attention to what you're eating and how your body feels. Are you hungry? What would you like to eat? How does it taste? What texture is the food? Honor your body's hunger cues. Learn what different levels of hunger feel like. Try to eat when you are comfortable and hungry, rather than waiting until your stomach is growling. Try to stop eating once you feel satisfied and full, rather than eating until you couldn't possibly eat another bite. Doing this will give you a better idea of how much energy your body needs.
2. Avoid skipping meals
Our bodies need energy throughout the day. Depriving yourself of calories throughout the day will lead to binge eating later on. This pattern also slows down your metabolism.
3. Put down the remote
If you tend to eat in front of the TV, try eating meals without it. When we watch TV while eating, our focus is taken away from the food. We taste the food less and have more difficulty noticing when we are full. For these reasons, watching TV while eating can cause us to overeat.
4. Drink water throughout the day
Hydrate!! Everyone's fluid needs are a little different, but if you don't have any health conditions that require fluid restriction, aiming for 8-10 cups is a good goal. Again, pay attention to how you feel. Are you dizzy or tired? Do you have a headache? Is your urine darker than normal? All of these are indications that you might need to drink more water.
If you aren't a fan of water or don't drink it often, try putting fruit in it! I love using lemon and cucumber, or lemon and strawberries.
5. Don't diet
As odd as it may sound coming from a dietitian, diets don't work. They have about a 95% failure rate. So, don't blame yourself for not being able to follow a diet, or for not losing weight while on a diet. Dieting on and off slows down your metabolism, which makes it easier to gain the weight back. Everyone is different, so there is no one diet for all of us to follow. Start where you are currently, and improve from there! Rather than focusing on restricting all your favorite foods, try focusing on adding more nutrient-dense foods.
If you have any general nutrition questions, feel free to contact Cristina using the form on the home page, or by emailing her at info@here2helphealth.com.