Are you a junk-food junkie? It is hard not to be one with a fast-food joint on every corner and TV advertisements for a super-size this or that every 15 minutes. But here are some ways you can use to kick your addiction to unhealthy (and expensive) fast food.
Avoid Mindless Eating
Do you realize how many calories you are ingesting when eating that bag of potato chips or bag of chocolates in front of the TV or at your desk at work? Most likely not. When eating, but focused on something else, it is easy to stuff yourself with junk food calories.
One way to avoid mindless eating is to not have junk food available in the first place. Instead have healthy snack bars, a small bag of nuts or some peanut butter and crackers to snack on. By planning ahead and having a healthy snack with you, you can avoid eating hundreds of calories in a day that you don’t need.
The second way is to focus on eating. In other words don’t be doing something else, to the point you don’t realize what you are eating. When eating becomes secondary to what you are doing, it is easy to lose track of what you are eating.
Fill Up on Fiber
Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is a good way to fill up instead of eating junk food. Because they contain a lot of fiber, they keep you full longer, but without adding tons of calories and unhealthy saturated fat.
Plan Ahead of Time when Eating Out
If you plan on eating out, plan what you are going to have before getting there. That way you won’t be tempted to just go with some unhealthy option loaded with extra calories and fat that you don’t need. Almost all of the fast food chains have their nutritional information posted on their website, making it easy to research options.
Avoid the Temptation
One sure way to avoid eating junk food is to not have it around. Avoid buying candy, chips, cookies and other processed foods that may tempt you. Instead load up on fresh fruits and vegetables that are low in calories and fat, but high on satisfying fullness due to the fiber they contain.
Addiction to junk food is as powerful as any other type of addiction, but you can “kick the habit” with these 4 tips. Don’t be a slave to food; instead make it work for you and help attain your healthy lifestyle goals.
