Take a Seat

We all have pretty busy lives. Between work, school, church activities, family time, socializing and much more, we are frequently on the go. But this can really put a damper on your health and eating habits. During the semester I made a goal to only eat while eating. Sound funny? Really, it is something a lot of us struggle with. There were many times I wanted to read or study while eating. Instead, I made a plate of food, sat down at the table, and focused on eating. So this week, guess what your challenge is?

sit down with a meal and eat!

When meals (and snacks) take place in cars, in front of computers, or in spurts while doing things around the house, your body doesn’t register that you are eating much. That then translates to not getting full or noticing when enough is enough.

Research has shown that those who sit down to a COMPLETE meal, as well as snacks, are less likely to eat more calories throughout the day.

Sitting down to eat compared to standing up while eating plays a mental game with our food diary. The mind does not recognize when we eat on the go or while standing… leading us to snacking after the so called meal.

Visually seeing everything laid out on a plate also helps to visually satisfy those cravings/hunger and helps one pay attention to what we are putting in our mouths.

Eating while sitting down at the table compared to standing up or on the road ultimately makes the meal more satisfying and full.

When we don't think about our meals, it frequently lead us to make less healthy food choices…

1. We eat larger portions: grabbing a handful of chips at a time while working often results in eating way more than one serving
2. You eat more food: when you just grab a little of this and a little of that, you really have no idea how much you just ate. That is why it is important to make a plate of food, eat what is on it and wait 15 minutes to see if you are really still hungry.
3. We eat more processed foods: if you think about it, the foods you can just “grab and go” with, are frequently processed. Unless you are grabbing fruits and veggies…if that is the case, chomp away! But handfuls and snacks in packages don’t lead to good things
4. You don’t have a balanced meal: it is important to see all you are eating on your plate to make sure it is balanced
5. You skip the water: when you graze, you usually don’t incorporate water into your meal

So…this week make an effort to sit down and eat while eating. It really is refreshing!

Talk to you later!

~What things distract you from sitting down to eat meals?

~Have you ever gone fly fishing?
**My family all went to a class this weekend to learn how for my dad’s birthday. It was fun! I used to be pretty intimidated by the idea, but it wasn’t too hard to pick up.