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RealBuzz : Keep healthy foods
visible...: A study by researchers at Cornell University
found that we are three times more likely to eat the first item we see in the
kitchen than the fifth, meaning that keeping healthy food visible could aid your
dieting goals. Try to make healthy food options more accessible by ensuring they
are as appealing and convenient as possible, as well as making them visible and
easy to find. Leave out a colourful fruit bowl, prepare a salad in advance, and
put some chopped veggies at the front of your fridge, for example.
.. And move ‘bad’ foods out of sight
Just as
putting healthy foods in a prominent position can help your diet, it follows
that the opposite is also true. While it may be best to avoid buying junk food
completely, if you must stock up on the odd treat make sure they are hidden away
at the back of cupboards to help prevent cravings. By making these foods a
little more difficult to get to (store them behind piles of tins, in high
cupboards or in locked drawers – whatever helps), you will also prevent mindless
snacking and give yourself some thinking time to decide whether you really want
to give in to temptation.
Get some fridge-spiration
To help stay motivated in the face of your
cravings, try transforming your fridge from a source of temptation into an
inspirational reminder of your progress so far. Consider sticking your favourite
photograph of yourself on your fridge for a positive reminder of why you should
resist those cravings next time you’re tempted to hit the fridge. Alternatively,
stick on a motivational quote or a handwritten note to yourself listing five
good reasons not to binge.
Opt for small, blue serving dishes
While many of us think we are eating standard
portion sizes, this is in fact not always the case. To help reduce your
temptation to overeat, try swapping your plates, bowls, glasses and cutlery for
smaller ones, which will help control your serving sizes as well as how quickly
you eat. Also, while you are making the switch, think about opting for a blue
colour scheme for your crockery, as blue is thought to act as an appetite
suppressant.
Set aside an eating area
Whether you eat your meals in the kitchen or a
separate dining room, it is important to set aside an area with a table where
you can sit down and eat. Furthermore, it is important to ensure you actually
sit there. Make it a rule never to eat out of packets or standing up and you
will find that this drastically reduces your tendency to overeat. The process of
putting food on a plate and sitting down to eat it not only reduces the tendency
to mindlessly pick at food, it also increases your awareness of what – and how
much – you are eating, and may make you think twice about doing it.
Spice up your kitchen
Your
cupboards and fridge may be packed with healthy items, but how’s your spice rack
looking? You might not class it as a kitchen essential, but if you’re looking to
cut kilojoules in your meals it can help to keep a well-stocked herb and spice
rack. Not only does adding herbs and seasonings to your meals add flavouring to
your food without extra kilojoules, but spices such as cinnamon, cayenne, black
pepper and ginger can actually help to promote weight loss
Keep your kitchen tidy
If you’re
lacking motivation to cook, it may be that your kitchen’s to blame. Cluttered
worktops and messy cupboards hardly act as an incentive to start whipping up a
gourmet delight so, if you have to clear a path to the oven or forge through
piles of half-opened packets of food to get to what you want, it may be time to
give your kitchen a makeover. Treat your kitchen as a place for food preparation
– rather than a rubbish dump, mailroom or storage space – and you may be more
inspired to reach for the wooden spoon rather than a takeaway menu the next time
hunger strikes.
Impose a TV ban
If you’re one of the large number of people who
prefers to eat their meals in front of a TV or computer screen, then you could
be sabotaging your diet without even realising it. According to research
findings published in the British Journal of Nutrition, eating when
distracted can cause you to ignore signals from your body that you’ve had
enough, leading you to eat more than you normally would. To help cut your
kilojoule intake, make sure you keep distracting items such as the television
out of your eating area, and try to keep the two activities separate.
Set kitchen “closing hours”
To help cut the amount of food you are
consuming, it is helpful to make the kitchen out-of-bounds once you have
finished your evening meal. Move anything you may need during those hours out of
the kitchen (and no, this doesn’t include chocolate!), then turn off the light
and close the door as a reminder to yourself that the kitchen is now closed.
While you will still need to rely on your own willpower to stick to these rules,
this should help reduce mindless snacking and trips to the kitchen next time
you’re feeling bored.
Kill your cravings with vanilla
If you
struggle to resist sugar cravings following your evening meal, it may be worth
investing in a vanilla-scented air freshener or candle for your kitchen. A study
at St George’s hospital, south London, found that using vanilla-scented patches
on the back of participants’ hands significantly reduced their appetite for
sweet foods and drinks. It is thought that this is due to the smell of vanilla,
which is believed to help suppress sweet cravings.
Read more on realbuzz.com...
10 ways to avoid the night-time nibbles
7 strange tricks that will help you to lose weight
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( Courtesy:
http://en-maktoob.entertainment.yahoo.com/ )
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