How many hours per day do you think you sit in front of a screen? Are you sitting in front of a screen right now? If so, are you eating or snacking? Most people, at some point, eat while watching a movie, watching a TV show, or simply while being on their phone. This can lead to mindless eating. Mindless eating means that instead of paying attention to eating and enjoying our food we are paying attention to some other distraction e.g. a screen. Not only do we miss out on the tastiness of the food in front of us, but we miss out on our body’s signals as well. When the body is satisfied it will send chemical signals to the brain telling it to stop eating. Unfortunately because we are distracted by an outside source aka the screen we miss this chemical signal and communication from our body. This can potentially lead an individual to eat too quickly and even overeat.
Below are some helpful tips to implement to help reduce eating in front of a screen.
Remove all screens from the table. Yes, that means no phones or tablets. This will allow you to focus on your food and listen to your body’s signals.
Pay attention to your food and chew slowly. Another consequence of eating in front of a screen is that we forget to chew our food completely which can eventually lead to indigestion.
If you are going to eat in front of a screen, set out portion sizes. So, instead of taking that whole bag of chips, pour some out into a bowl. That way you enjoy your show and your snack.
Now that most school’s are fully online, we are in front of a screen more than ever. Remember to take breaks and take care of yourself. Stand up, stretch, get some fresh air, or go for a walk outside. Fall semester is almost over and we are almost at the finish line. You all got this!
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