The trick is to “snack smart.”
A bar of chocolate in front of the television, a piece of cheese while waiting for dinner, half a baguette when we get home from work… When boredom threatens us, we tend to throw ourselves on comfort foods, sweet, salty or fatty. This phenomenon is not surprising, but with a little willpower, it is possible to resist temptation.
When we eat while doing nothing, it is for two reasons: to anesthetize our thoughts or to avoid being alone. The act of eating then becomes a distraction.Experiments with mice and rats have demonstrated this phenomenon. When mice are put in a closed space and food is given to them, they walk around in circles and after a while, the act of eating allows them to distract themselves and break up their days.”reports Dr. Jean-Michel Cohen, nutritionist, author of numerous books and founder of the Cohen method. When someone is alone or bored at home, they tend to go to the kitchen quite regularly to snack, this allows them to occupy their thoughts.
In other words, the desire to eat is not a physical sensation. It is the head that demands food, not the stomach. We eat to fill a void. Where the problem lies is that we generally go for sweet foods like chocolate, candy, pastries, biscuits because they bring us a certain comfort. Others prefer fatty and salty foods like cheese, aperitif cakes or even sausage. In both cases, we tend to ingest these foods compulsively and in large quantities. Consequently, if we snack too often, weight gain will be inevitable.
To limit these cravings, you should first ask yourself if you are really hungry or if it is boredom talking. In the second case, you will have to find an activity to fill the void you feel: go for a walk, drink water or a herbal tea, read a book, listen to music, call a friend… in short, anything that can make you think of something else. But, let’s admit it, it is easier said than done, especially when you have become accustomed to it.
The easiest way to avoid cracking is to have nothing available. Then you have to learn to snack intelligently.You can prepare low-calorie snacks that you can munch on while you’re in the kitchen.” such as:
→ Pineapple cubes
→ Pre-cut apple quarters
→ Baked sweet potatoes in the form of fat-free fries.They will caramelize on the surface and therefore provide a little sugar but with a lot of fiber, which is interesting from a nutritional point of view.“, he explains.
It is necessary that these ingredients remain within sight so that it awakens a reflex arc: “I see this so be careful, I must not look.”