Snacking can become a dangerous problem for our diet, as it can make us gain weight. How to avoid it and not be hungry between meals?
Although it is normal to feel hungry between meals, we do not always tend to be right in the foods we choose to eat among those considered the most important meals of the day (dinner, lunch, snack and dinner). Usually because, very often, we choose foods rich in saturated fats and sugars, which in addition to being not very nutritious and healthy, will cause us to gain weight and end up gaining weight.
The truth is that, in reality, if we maintain a nutritious, rich and balanced diet, we eat properly at the times when we have to and we generally lead a lifestyle that is as calm and relaxed as possible, we do not have to be hungry between hours.
Fundamentally because, as many nutritionists and psychologists believe, in a certain sense we could say that snacking is related not to the fact that there is a real sensation of appetite or hunger, but rather to poor stress management. In other words, we tend to give an inadequate response to situations that stress us, anguish us or make us nervous, so that instead of solving them, our appetite opens up and we eat the first thing we catch.
But snacking between meals does not have to be seen as a problem for our health or for our weight if we choose healthy and nutritious options. That is, the alternative in those moments when we get hungry and it is not yet time for lunch or dinner is found in eating healthy.
Simple tricks to avoid snacking between meals
What kind of hunger are you?
The truth is that, as we indicated earlier, on most occasions we bite between meals because we feel what in psychology is known as emotional hunger. That is, it is not a type of physical hunger, but our appetite tends to open up to situations that cause us anguish or stress. In other words, we eat in response to a certain emotional need.
Thus, if, for example, our feeling of hunger appears suddenly, we feel a terrible desire to calm it down and we want to eat unhealthy foods rich in fats and / or sugars, it is quite evident that what we have to control is not our appetite, but to attend to the emotional or psychological cause that is causing this response.
Are you nervous, anxious or stressed? Breathe and calm down
Once you have identified if you are facing a type of emotional or physical and real hunger, if you have realized that in reality the immense desire to peck between meals is due to some rather emotional cause, the key is to breathe consciously.
It is an excellent option to inquire within ourselves and discover what may be stressing or distressing us. Perhaps it is a concern for our work? Are we afraid of an event in the future?
For a moment, sit down, close your eyes, and breathe consciously for a few minutes.
In addition, you will realize if you are eating out of anxiety (and your hunger will therefore be emotional) if: you eat very quickly and a lot, you choose very caloric foods, especially rich in empty calories, after having eaten you feel guilty.
Try to eat slowly, chewing your food well
When we eat out of anxiety or because we are nervous, we tend to eat quickly, practically swallowing food instead of enjoying its taste, aroma and texture.
Therefore, the key is not only to focus on eating, but to do it slowly, in small bites and chewing food well. This in turn will help your stomach give time to send the necessary signals to the brain to indicate that you are already satiated, and therefore you will not overeat.
