1. Clean your kitchen
A study found that simply being in a messy and clustered kitchen will cause you to eat more, and we are talking 40% more! The study found that out of 100 women, those in a messy kitchen ate almost twice as much calories than the women in a clean kitchen. So, whether it’s your kitchen, or even your workplace, make sure you keep the places in your life neat and tidy to avoid snacking.
2. Hide your vices
The foods that are easier to reach for, and the ones you are most likely to take! We know this because a study discovered that out of 200 kitchens that were analysed, women who had sofa sitting on their countertops weighed an average 26 pounds more, cereal an additional 20 pounds, and cookies about 8 pounds more. So, whats the lesson here? Clear junk food off your countertops to start losing weight!
3. Prioritize your produce
If you simply reorganize the most accessible food in your pantry, or whatever sits on your countertops, then you could be saving adding on some serious calories. Remove the junk that has become accessible around your house, and replace it with a fruit bowl. This way, you’re 70% more likely to grab fruits and veggies over less healthy options, as long as they’re readily available!
4. Turn off the TV
You don’t just eat with your eyes… you also eat with your ears! A new study tested how our perception of the sound of eating food affects our eating habits. It was found out of everyone eating crunchy foods, the participants who were distracted by white noise were less aware of the sound of the food, which caused them to eat more compared to those who could hear the food they were eating. So, don’t watch TV as it will distract you whilst eating – causing you to eat more!
5. Change your plate size
But, of course, you definitely still eat with your eyes too! If you serve yourself a bigger plate, the food appears to be smaller, which will lead to over-searching and overeating. So, instead, buy smaller plates which make the food servings appear significantly bigger, as it will trick your mind into thinking you’re about to consume more calories than you actually are!
6. Switch to a smaller glass
Now, of course those sparling glasses look mighty fine, but they will do more harm than good! Bigger glasses may influence you to drink more than you should, then making you consume more nutrient-deficient calories than you need to. A study found that people will automatically pour more liquid into a short, wide glass, than in a taller, skinny one of the same volume. So, swap out those chunky glasses, for more leaner glasses!
7. Use snack bags
Changing your environment also means changing the portion sizes of the foods you tend to reach for. Munching mindlessly from an endless bag leads to you eating more than you actually need. Instead, plan what you are going to eat, go to get the food, and create a man-made portion size to eliminate this overeating problem. It’s even proven to work scientifically; a study found that those given a jumbo bag of Wheat Thins ate 20% more than those with multiple smaller bags.
8. Unfollow
Nowadays, a phone is a huge part of your environment and it actually just becomes more of an extension to your hand! But this isn’t good if you want to eat healthier. Scrolling through your social feed is just as bad for your gut because when we see food online, a channel of neural and physical responses called ‘visual hunger’ are sent to our brain. In other words, even if we aren’t hungry, a signal will still be sent to our brains that we need to eat.
9. Have a meal plan
You might love variety, but it can be a habit-breaker. Plus, planning out what you’re going to make everyday – the day of – can be a pain. Meal planning is great as it helps you gain control of your overall food intake. You need to remember that it’s not a bad habit to eat the same things every week! In fact, according to a survey, 60% of adults eat the same dishes every week, and 1 in 4 adults even cook the same meal on the same day!
10. Adopt eating rituals
Bad eating habits will leave an impressionable influence on those who live a non-patterned environment. However, sometimes we have no choice! If your job requires you to fly to another state every couple of weeks, or your son’s soccer practice changes each month, then it can be hard to stick to the same schedule. This is why experts believe in eating rituals, which are a form a ‘mindful eating’. To do this, make an effort to sit with your family during meal times, or step away from your desk during lunch.