We don’t have complete control over our weight. But making small changes to how we interact with our immediate environment can still make an impact. From planning healthy meals to staying on our feet, we’ve put together a list of life tricks that you may find helpful.
Food is everywhere. Tasty treats stare at you through shop windows. Soda adverts fill advertising billboards. And the local takeaway pumps air from the kitchen out onto the street – the smell of instant satisfaction.
We try to eat healthy food and we try to eat in moderation. But these triggers in our environment activate our desire to eat energy-rich food. So even though we’re not hungry, we get into the habit of picking up that extra soda or bagel.
We can’t always avoid these triggers in our wider environment. Instead, take a look at your immediate environment, such as your home or office. Research shows that even small changes can make a big difference and make weight management easier for you.
Below, we’ve put together a list with some great tips and tricks:
01
Plan and shop for healthy meals that fill you up
Try not to go shopping for food when you’re hungry.
Try to buy more food that’s low in calories but high in protein and fibre. For example, try fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, yoghurt, fresh meat, whole grains, beans, or lentils.
Keep your belly and wallet happy by buying vegetables that are in season – they are cheaper and also taste great.
If it’s not at home, you can’t eat it. So be mindful of what you put in your shopping trolley.
02
Make it harder to find, prepare and eat tempting food at home
Try to keep food out of eyesight at home. And if you do buy high-calorie foods, put them at the back of the fridge or buried away at the back of the pantry.
Buy food that makes you work to eat it. For example, oranges that you first have to peel, or nuts that have to be cracked open one at a time.
The strictest approach is to only keep food at home that has to be cooked or heated before it can be eaten. This reduces the chance of snacking between meals.
Are there foods that you find especially rewarding to eat? Make a habit of only eating them occasionally, but not every day.
It can be hard to find the energy to cook at the end of a long day. So how about using some hours over the weekend to cook some meals you love and store them in your fridge or freezer?
