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There’s nothing quite like indulging in a little snack. Your head’s telling you ‘no’ but your tummy has other ideas, gurgling away for that cheeky bit of chocolate sitting patiently in the cupboard.
Whether with chocolate or another treat, we all experience this from time to time, so there’s no need to feel guilty if it’s a one off. However if you feel your snacking is getting out of hand, here are some useful tips to avoid eating unhealthily all of the time.
1. Get more sleep
Having a good night’s sleep compared to a poor one can really influence the kind of day you have – including with your diet. We have the tendency to overeat when our brain hasn’t had a sufficient seven to eight hours of sleep a night. We also eat more mindlessly; we are less aware of whether we’re eating healthy or not and crave high-sugar foods, along with the subsequent ‘sugar rush’ of energy they give our tired bodies.
Remember to prioritise sleep. Maintain a regular bedtime as much as you can aim to get your seven to eight hours, and you’ll no longer be sniffing for that last piece of your flatmate’s chocolate before bed!
2. Be mindful of what you eat
Mindless eating really is a thing. Most of us can relate to parking ourselves in front of some Netflix, and before we’re even gotten through an episode, our hand’s desperately scrambling for the last remaining crumbs at the bottom of the crisp packet. We’ve all been there and are often washed with a tinge of regret.
Paying attention to what you’re eating, and how it makes you feel afterwards, can go a long way to influencing your future eating habits. The convenience and ease of a chocolate bar can be irresistible to the clutches of temptation, but being aware of what you’re eating, in what’s known as a ‘witness state’, can prime you to be more conscious of how healthy you eat. The more you do so, the stronger the habit of healthy snacking will be.
3. Try new foods
The brain has a soft spot for the new and novel. Extensive research undertaken on the brain has discovered that our brain changes with new experiences. So, if you’re having ‘just one bit of chocolate’ more than once a day, why not treat your brain to some excitement and try a new, healthy snack instead?
Many of the unhealthy foods we eat work via an addiction mechanism, where elements such as sugar leave us wanting more, and fast! But trying new foods that we haven’t had before can also produce the same excitement within the brain.
So get creative! The list of healthy snacks you can buy, or make yourself, is endless, and the more creative you are, the happier your brain will be.
4. Rethink your environment
You’ll be amazed at how significantly the environment you surround yourself with influences your decision-making. As a student, you’re often a product of your environment, and this is definitely the case with eating habits.
If you have unhealthy snacks in your kitchen cupboards, or you’re used to indulging in unhealthy eating habits at certain times or certain situations (like when watching TV), addressing these can reduce how often you engage with unhealthy snacking.
Try swapping out the packet of crisps or chocolate in your cupboard for some fruit or even some nuts. And try taking up a hobby that uses your hands and your brain instead of just watching TV (so they don’t wander to the food cupboard). You’ll not only slowly begin to indulge in unhealthy snacking less, but also provide yourself with nutritious substitutes which will make you feel better both physically, and mentally.
It’s important to acknowledge, through all of this, that nobody eats perfectly all the time. Having the odd chocolate bar, packet of crisps, pizza or whatever your cheat food may be won’t do you any harm. It’s good to treat yourself now and again when you’ve worked hard and if that means popping down to Tesco for a packet of lollies, that’s ok.
But being a student can come with lots of stressful periods, but also lots of down time in between them. That’s when unhealthy eating can creep in – when you’re either stressed or bored. So, it’s important to be aware that this can happen, and how to prevent this unhealthy snacking from becoming an unhealthy long-term habit.
Don’t eliminate! Just recognise, & reduce.
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