Brain Tricks that Work: Just Say No to Junk

Food manufacturers go to great lengths to ensure that there is the right amount of sugar, salt and flavoring in their processed foods – for you to get addicted to them. These foods give that “feel good” feeling, that feeling of comfort, all from eating a packaged cookie or a bag of chips.


It’s remarkable, but Americans spend 60 billion dollars a year on processed snack foods just to get that feeling. Processed foods are addictive, but there are ways you can combat that addiction.

Here are just a few of them:
 
Keep healthy food on hand
If all you have in your cabinets is snack food, then that’s what you’re going to go for. Instead, load your fridge and cabinets with healthy snacks. By ridding your home of the junk food, you won’t have any other option but to eat healthy.
5 ingredients or less
The more ingredients there are in a packaged food, the more processed it is. Try to steer clear of items that have more than five ingredients. If you’re going for cookies, try making homemade ones instead – using a healthy sugar substitute like organic coconut crystals. At least you’ll know what you’re putting into them, and they’re tastier anyway.
Go for walk
If you find that there is a particular time of day that you get a craving for junk food, go for a walk or find some other activity that will take your mind off of that craving. If you do this each time you get your craving, you can kick your craving altogether – and at the same time do something good for yourself.
Chew slowly
The longer it takes for you to chew your food, the less hungry you will be. So, chew until you can’t chew anymore. Oh, and remember to eventually swallow.
Educate yourself
Learn about all that goes into processed foods. More than likely, that will be enough for you to change your eating habits.
Don’t wait too long between meals
Waiting too long to eat makes you want to pig out on whatever is available to you. Have healthy snacks on hand so you don’t eat junk in between meals.
Plan your meals
By planning, you can be sure that everything on your plate will be healthy. By not planning, you may resort to buying something that’s quick and easy… in other words, junk food.
Know your pitfalls
It’s important that you know your weaknesses. You know, the foods that you eat even when you’re not hungry, and continue to eat until they’re all gone. Once you recognize what they are, it’s important that you avoid these. Make a list of these foods so that you avoid them when you go shopping. If need be, avoid the snack aisle completely.
Junk food is designed to keep you wanting more. The next time you’re craving junk food, you need to think about the reason behind it. Is it for comfort or hunger, or is it out of boredom? None of these reasons are good enough to grab a bag of chips and pig out on them.
Instead, go for the healthy food, go for a walk, read a book, do anything you can – but don’t go for the junk!
-The Alternative Daily