Healthy Eating... Part 2

Here was Part 1.

I'm making this Part 2 coz I've decided to write more (and thus remind myself constantly) about taking care of what I put in my body. When I write, I'd remember it so much better & I can always access this blog any time if I ever need to remind myself (who else would read this blog if not me. Ahaha.). When I grow old, I don't want to be anyone's burden just because I didn't take care of what I ate during my "younger'" days. I hope it's not too late to start at 30.

In a book "59 Seconds" by Richard Wiseman, there's a chapter on how to take care of what you eat. Here's some of it:

1) Power of Slow - somehow eating slowly gives you a satisfied feeling (probably coz you'd be able to savour each and every mouthful) and makes you think that you have eaten more.

2) Out of sight, Out of mind - make sure that tempting foods are out of your eye's view and stored at places that is difficult to access such as high cabinets. (the same psychology for shopaholics for keeping credit cards in a block of ice in the freezer, ie the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic).

3) Focus - don't eat while watching tv/movie/listening to stories/reading/etc. Eating while doing something else makes you consume more food without realizing it.

4) Beware of large bowl/plates - we often have the subconscious temptation to fill up the whole area of a bowl/plate. Therefore, using smaller sizes of bowl, plate, cutleries, etc. will help you cut down on your eating.

5) Keep a food diary - becoming aware of what you eat on a daily basis will help you break old habits and consume less.

6) Use more energy - make small changes to your everyday routine by adding activities that could burn more calories. For me, it's like parking my car at the farthest parking lot and taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

7) Mirror, mirror on the kitchen wall - placing a mirror in the kitchen may help shed some weight. Seeing own reflection makes you more aware of your body and be reminded to take care of what you eat before you proceed to the foods in the kitchen.

This is just a guideline. It might not apply to everyone. For example, keeping a food diary doesn't suite my lifestyle so I substitute it with setting limits early on such as no more than 2 slices of bread per day (coz flour makes my digestion slurry).