I’m hearing this a lot lately: “I can’t stop eating!!”
And eating. And eating. And eating.
I know! We’re now home all day long, wandering in and out of the kitchen, looking for things to do, staring inside the fridge, digging around in the pantry, inevitably filling empty space with mindless activities like snacking. Sometimes it feels like all that’s happened with the day is food prep, cooking, eating, clean up, repeat.
Firstly: Don’t worry about it too much.
We are all under an enormous amount of stress right now. No matter how you are feeling it, dealing with it, and processing it, the world is in crisis and we live here, so we are, undeniably, affected. Every single one of us.
Naturally, we are going to start developing new habits and behaviours by way of simply doing our best to cope. Since eating is one of the most innate human behaviours, the sway towards food is completely normal and may even serve a positive purpose at this time: to nurture. Humans are meant to nurture with food, we are designed this way; food is a way to take care of ourselves & our loved ones. Certain foods can help us feel better, feel warm and loved and comfortable, and remind us of better, happier times. It’s ok, at appropriate times, to utilize the comforts of food to help us feel better.
Second: Tune inward & be more present.
The whole concept of: slow down & stay home is an amazing opportunity to tune inward; to think about things you didn’t have time to think about before; to reflect on your life, where you are at and where you would like to be; to assess your emotional & mental health, the affect of your work, the beauty & struggle of your relationships. It is also a wonderful time to tune inwards with your food relationship. If you are someone who has spent time in your life suffering through a disordered or dysfunctional relationship with food, this is the perfect time to relax into those thoughts & feelings and evaluate how you would like this relationship to look moving forward. For many, even a past struggle with food dysfunction will still rear its head every once in a while. Those are the greatest moments to learn from.
Snacking Tools For The Stay At Home Marathon
Slow Down: Always #1. Slowing down with your food, breathing, tuning in to your body, being present with your food, chewing, taking small breaks between bites, are all ways to calm & slow the eating process. Remove distractions like screens or work, sit down and give your food your full attention. Not only does this practice encourage proper digestion and relaxation of the nervous system, but it increases awareness & communication between your gut and your brain so that you will not miss your satiation signals - a good way to reduce tendencies towards over eating.
Always Put Your Snacks in a Bowl/on a Plate: Mindless eating is what’s at play once you start dipping your hand straight into that chip bag - you know what I’m talking about! Make it a priority to ALWAYS pour a small amount of your snack into a bowl or onto a plate so that you can clearly assess portion size and do not fall into the trap of over snacking. Take your bowl or plate to a different location, sit down, tune in, and be sure to put the chip bag/Oreo bag/cracker box away.
Focus on the Clock: Think about this for a minute: it is not actually beneficial for your body to be digesting food on the continuum, it needs rest and regular breaks. Ideally, there is 2-3 hours between eating times to give your hard working GI tract a chance to recover. We don’t all need to go so far as to put up an eating schedule, but just pay attention to the clock and assess whether it’s time for more food (are you actually hungry?), or could you wait until the next meal time. Also, the body digests food best during the hours of 10am and 2pm, when the sun is at its highest in the sky, a concept that works with the body’s natural Bio-circadian rhythm. Think about consuming the highest intake of your day’s calories during these hours, easing the load in the evenings and first thing in the morning, to maximize your metabolic function.
Make Good Food Choices: If you don’t buy the crappy chips, you won’t eat the crappy chips, and since you can’t just go running out to the store whenever you feel like it, this is a great time to NOT BUY THE CRAPPY CHIPS! Go for whole food choices, reduce as much processed options as you can, make your own hummous & dips, try making your own crackers, or just go simple with cut up fruit or veggies and a handful of nuts.
Choose Quality over Quantity: A good rule of thumb when it comes to food in general, assess the food quality of your choices when you are making your list, deciding on meals, and shopping. What kind of nutrients will you received from processed crackers or packaged granola, and can you do better? This is not about choosing more expensive products with all the health claim packaging, but rather, choosing real food options. Remember, the body knows how to break down & digest real food, it is designed for this. When we start putting processed food, chemical additives & preservatives, GMO foods, dyes, and hydrogenated oils in there, the body doesn’t quite know what to do with those, so it stores them as fat or packs them away in the liver or in other organs, creating the potential for a whole list of problematic issues.
Drink Herbal Tea: The next time you find yourself rummaging around in your kitchen, ask yourself this: am I actually hungry right now? If the answer is no, try an herbal tea instead. Herbal tea has a magical way of satisfying the yearning for something to taste and put in your mouth and in to your belly, without the unnecessary calories. Most herbal teas also have a beautiful nurturing quality for the mind and calming qualities for the nervous system. Try: chamomile, lemon balm, licorice, rose hips, ginger, or peppermint.
Real Food Snack Ideas:
Fresh Fruit
Frozen Berries + Coconut Yogourt/Kefir
Apple Pieces + Almond Butter (2Tbsp)
Hummous + Carrot Sticks + Homemade Crackers
Steamed Green Beans or Edamame Beans + Salt
Homemade Guacamole + Homemade Crackers or Tortilla Chips
Hippie Trail Cookies
Energy Balls
Popcorn
Smoothie (A great afternoon pick-me-up!)
Banana Ice Cream (Frozen bananas, pureed)
Real Food Muffins
Homemade Nut, Seed, & Dried Fruit Mix (1/3 cup)
Chia Pudding + Frozen Berries + Granola
Seed Dip + Homemade Crackers
For the Late Night Munchers, here are a few good food choices for you 😊