There are three categories of mindsets people have concerning eating healthy.
They are:
1) I’m eating healthy.
2) I should be eating healthy.
And
3) I don’t care about being healthy.
Thankfully, this article directs its attention to both 1) and 2). If you’re under the 3rd category, sorry guys, this one’s not for you.
Most people are eating or want to eat healthy foods, but lack the proper motivation to do so. This is usually a problem in the brain caused in the development stage when you were still young. Luckily, the brain, as complex as it is, can be hacked into having healthier eating habits.
Here are the top three things you could do:
- Look at Healthy Food While Eating. Even if you just keep healthy food around, it makes you a more conscious eater. It’s a subconscious thing that happens in your brain. When a healthier option is presented in front of you, even if you’re not going to eat it, you’re going to start making healthier food options. Like going to church. If the priest keeps asking you if you’ve been doing anything bad lately, while you might not admit the things you’re doing, you’re going to be subconsciously trying to do good.
- Pretend to Eat Bad Foods. By tricking your brain to thinking that you’re actually eating more, you can stop your body from eating more and wanting even more food, both psychologically and mentally. An example would be if you had the choice of a small bag of chips and a large bag of chips. You’d probably only eat one of the large one, right? But if you were to take the small bag, you wouldn’t be too sure if you’d be taking a third or a fourth.
- Eat With a Smaller Plate. I think you might have heard about this before, but this one is a great way to start eating less and less food. If your plate is small relative to the amount of food on it, once you’ve finished eating, you’ll feel fuller than you would be if you ate the same amount of food from a large plate. This has been proven on many occasions as this psychologically tricks the brain into assuming you’ve eaten more than you actually have.
We know that these steps might seem like you’re actually cheating yourself, but know that this is how the brain works. The brain will always listen to how much it thinks you have eaten via your senses, than how much you’ve actually eaten. Still in disbelief? Why don’t you try it out yourself? I’ll be over here in the corner munching on my tuna sandwich a la McDonalds cheeseburger. Yum.
