If you do not control the amount of food you need to eat properly and eat too much, it can lead to weight gain. In addition, if the amount exceeds the digestible range, it will overwork normal digestion and cause indigestion symptoms such as bloating in the stomach and cold gas. In addition, if you continue this overeating diet for a long period of time, excess fat will cause obesity, as well as decrease the functions of digestive organs such as stomach and intestines, which will act as a cause of gastrointestinal disorders and various diseases. Therefore, it can be said that it is very important to reduce the habit of overeating and binge eating as much as possible and to maintain the habit of eating an appropriate amount of food for weight control and health management. So, today, let’s take a look at various methods that can help you improve your unhealthy eating habits, such as overeating and binge eating.
Lifestyle habits to prevent overeating
1. Control your eating habits
To prevent overeating, it is important to control fast food intake and eat slowly. It takes about 12 to 15 minutes for the nutrients contained in the ingested food to be recognized by the brain. If you eat quickly, you will go beyond the perception of fullness, making it easier to overeat. In addition, if you have a habit of eating quickly, you will swallow food without properly chewing it. This action not only puts a great burden on the stomach for digestion, but also can cause various stomach-related diseases if it continues for a long time. Therefore, when eating, it is important to chew slowly and firmly and consume it with plenty of time.
2. Use small plates
If you get into the habit of putting food on a large plate, you may end up eating more food without realizing it. A study by Cornell University in the US found that the larger the empty space on the plate, the stronger the urge to fill it. Therefore, it is said that it is helpful to prevent overeating if you change the plate that contains food to a smaller one and make it a habit to eat only the amount of food that is on the plate.
In addition, it is said that it can be helpful to prevent overeating by eating only a fixed amount after dividing a certain amount in advance, rather than opening the package before eating and eating a large-capacity packaged food.
3. Regular meal times
Skipping meals or having irregular meal times can make it easier to overeat or binge eat. It is said that eating regular meals at a set time has a beneficial effect in controlling appetite and preventing overeating. Also, in the morning hours, there are many cases of skipping meals because time is tight for various reasons such as going to work and going to school. After a good night’s sleep, breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day, as the body gets its metabolism and energy for the day through breakfast. If you eat a healthy breakfast, you can prevent overeating at lunch and dinner, so it is important to consume it consistently without skipping.
4. Avoid eating in front of a computer or TV
If you eat while watching a computer, laptop, or TV, your brain will not be able to properly recognize that you are eating because you care about other things than food. So, you can eat more than you normally would. Therefore, it is a good idea to focus only on the food when eating. In addition, there are cases where you continue to use your smartphone without putting it down while eating. This habit is also the same as the reason mentioned above, so it is not recommended to use your smartphone while eating.
5. Snack on low-calorie foods
It is said that eating a snack in the middle can be a good way to eat because it is easier to overeat or binge eat if you endure hunger until you eat. However, foods that contain too much simple sugar can cause a feeling of hunger and overeating by quickly raising blood sugar, so eating fruits or nuts that do not contain simple sugar and help create a feeling of satiety is a good way. .
6. Stress Control
When you are angry, depressed, or suffer from severe mental stress, you increase your intake of sweet and stimulant foods to relieve these stresses, and it often leads to overeating or binge eating. In particular, consumption of foods containing simple sugars makes you feel good, but stress relief caused by eating simple sugars is not only temporary, but also causes a greater feeling of hunger after a certain period of time, which can lead to an increase in food intake. there will be Therefore, instead of eating food to relieve stress, regular aerobic exercise, hobbies, meditation, etc., can be a good way to prevent overeating by reducing simple sugar intake.
Insufficient sleep time promotes the secretion of ghrelin, a hormone that promotes appetite, and leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite, is known to act as a cause of overeating. The association between overeating and binge eating due to lack of sleep has been confirmed in many studies. Therefore, getting enough sleep is also an important management habit to prevent overeating.
