Mindless Eating

   One thing we have all been guilty of at least a few times in our lives is what I like to call "Mindless Eating". You know what I am talking about, plopped on the couch in front of the TV with a bag of chips or a box of crackers on your lap. All of a sudden you look down and the bag is empty, how did that happen?! This is a perfect example of mindless eating, but another one may be grabbing your lunch through the drive through, or grabbing your breakfast and eating it in a hurry in the car. This may sound funny but your body will deal with food differently depending on the state your body is in when the food is consumed. If you are stressed (in a rush) your body will consume more of that food to fat, even if it is healthy. 
   When you are plopped in front of the couch snacking you are rewarding pleasure centers in your brain and depleting dopamine. This can also affect your mood and eating habits at different points in the day. So instead, practice "mindful eating". Take a deep breath, sit down, acknowledge what you are about to eat, think about how it will affect your body. This is something that I am currently teaching my 3 year old daughter, and she has a lot of fun with it. For example I teach her that when she eats carrots she is helping her eyes, she now asks me almost everytime she eats, "What's this good for? or "Is this healthy?" When she says it there is an F somewhere in Healthy, Healthfy. But she is learning to acknowledge and appreciate what she is putting in to her body. This will also help her and you make better decisions when picking out what to eat, if you ask yourself everytime you eat, what's this good for? Im sure there would be at least a few things that you put back.