Four Tips to Avoid Overeating

Excited about all of the great food around the holidays?  Here are some tips you can use today to avoid overeating:

Tip 1:   Slow down!  Take smaller bites and chew thoroughly.  Eating slowly allows you to actually taste and enjoy what you are eating, which in turn may lead to making healthier food choices.  Eating slower will also help you to stop eating when you are full.  Our brain doesn’t register how full we are immediately, so we usually end up overeating before we even know it!  Extension Agent Kaye Kasza states “Digestion begins in the mouth, so the more time you spend chewing each bite, the better your body can digest all of the wonderful nutritious components of your food”.

Tip 2:   Plan ahead with snacks.  Don’t let your hunger get the best of you!  Planning ahead helps us make better choices for our health goals, and only takes a few minutes of time.  Once you get in the routine of planning for both meals and snacks – a handful of almonds with an apple or other fruit as an example of a satisfying snack or a hard boiled egg – it will get much easier and become second nature.

Tip 3:   Don’t wait too long to eat.  Waiting until you’re famished to eat can send you on a hunt for energy, and the willpower to make healthful choices goes down the drain.  Eating snacks and meals on a regular schedule keeps blood sugar and energy stable, which prevents you from feeling famished and grabbing anything that looks like food!  Avoid temptation by packing healthful, portable snacks like nuts in your purse, desk drawer, or glove compartment.

Tip 4:   What to do if you overeat?  Don’t beat yourself up.  The next meal is a clean slate and a chance to be healthy and well balanced.  Don’t skip meals, as this will wreak havoc on your blood sugar – which can cause weigh gain, irritability, fatigue and more.  Make sure to drink plenty of water between meals and include lots of great vegetables, which are packed with nutrition.  If the foods you overate are in your kitchen or office, and are calling your name, move them, donate them or even create portioned freezer meals that you can take out one at a time and reheat.  Setting up your environment for success is a great way to control your urge to overeat! 

For more information on healthy eating, contact your local Extension Office:  Baca County 719-523-6971, Bent County 719-456-0764, Cheyenne County 719-767-5716, Crowley County 719-267-5243, Kiowa County 719-438-5321, Otero County 719-254-7608, Prowers County 719-336-7734.  Or find us on the web at:  http://www.extension.colostate.edu/SEA.CSU Extension offers up-to-date, unbiased, research-based information to families in Southeast Colorado.  CSU Extension programs are available to all without discrimination

By: Kaye Kasza, CSU Extension Agent

Contact: Kaye.kasza@colostate.edu or 719-456-0764