How to Avoid Overeating

Food is important for obtaining nutritional requirements and keeping your body healthy. Whether it is an inherent fear of not eating enough, or just eating because we enjoy the taste of certain foods, Americans are notorious for overeating. Luckily, by following a few simple guidelines, overeating problems can be addressed.

Gauge Your Hunger

How many of us truly know what hunger feels like? I’m not talking about having a growling stomach because you haven’t eaten since breakfast and it’s 2 hours till lunch time. Full blown hunger can be dangerous and often we exaggerate our feelings of hunger. By determining your actual hunger levels, eating the appropriate amount of food to be satisfied will become easier and less likely to be skewed.

Don’t Miss Breakfast

Studies have shown that breakfast truly is one of the most important meals of the day. When individuals eat more fats, proteins and carbohydrates for breakfast, they are likely to be more sated during the course of a day. This means that hunger levels are kept in check and the body isn’t begging for food as often to satisfy fuel needs.

Increase Fiber Intake

Fiber is an excellent food source to increase fullness for longer periods of time. The human body processes fiber much slower than it does other nutrients while also containing high volumes in fewer calories. This can also be achieved by packing your breakfast with fiber-rich cereal and investing in low-calorie, fiber-rich snacks.

Eat Smaller Portions More Often

It has been said that full-fledged hunger will set in at around 5 hours following a balanced meal. If an individual waits too long to eat, the decision to eat healthy foods often goes out the window. Meal prepping small meals that can be consumed in intervals can help cut quantities of food and maintain nutritional value.