Changing the 5 W’s and how you eat

A nutritionist recently shared an easy 6 step way to evaluate your eating pattern. Here are 6 things to consider.

• What you eat

  It is easy to eat non-healthy foods because it is all around us, not to mention tasty! However, it is important to understand that non-healthy foods deprive the body of proper nutrients. The FDA suggests having a healthy food plan to consist of a balanced diet, with equal amounts of vegetables, protein, some fat, etc. Below is the new food pyramid, which outlines the food balance requirements.

  

• Where you eat

  This not only applies to choosing restaurants or places to eat out, but also to where you eat at home. Do you eat in front of the TV or snack in bed? Research has shown that people tend to overeat when they sit in front of the TV. This is because your mind is not concentrating on how full you are getting, but on how good the show is.

• Why you eat

  Most people will answer because I’m hungry, but this is not always the case. In a social situation, it is easy to eat because everyone else is eating. So snacking can be easy. Other times, people eat as rewards for doing exercise or getting through a hard day at work. Unfortunately unneeded calories are taken in.

• When you eat

  Some of us skip breakfast, starve ourselves all day and then eat tons of calories at once. This does not give the body enough time to digest and therefore stores more fat. It is better to eat break meals into small portions and eat more frequently.

• Who you eat (with)

  People in your social network can influence what you eat. If your friends are healthy eaters, it is likely that you will be too or you won’t be able to hang out at the same restaurant.

• How you eat

  We often tend to “eat on the run” or just “grab a bite.” In this case it is easy to overeat. It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that you are full. So it is better to slow down.