The Nutrition Mistake Even I'm Guilty Of

I was in grocery store the other day and was walking past a display of cookies. The store had opened a container so people could sample it. Automatically my survival seeking lizard brain shouted "Free Cookie Must Eat!" I quickly snapped out of this barely conscious thought and was shocked at my mind's knee-jerk reaction. I wasn't hungry or particularly interested in the product, but it reminded me of the old joke of how you're on a "seefood diet" - you see food and eat it.

While noshing on free samples typically isn't an issue for me, I'm guilty of tasting things at home. Spoon some food on the plate and have a little taste. Cooking something and have a little taste. Putting the leftovers away and having a little sample. While having a little taste here and there doesn't seem like a lot, it can add up easily because it's such an unconscious habit. This is often a challenging point for my clients who have kids. Unconscious snacking can occur as you eat the leftovers off your kid's plate or snack as you make their lunches. An effective way to help realize how much you're really snacking is to take a ziploc bag and instead of putting all those little food tastes in your mouth, put in in the plastic bag and see how much food has accumulated by the end of the day. This exercise can be really shocking.

Another strategy that can help with unconscious snacking is keeping a food diary. Even if it's for only a few days, just the act of having to write down what you're eating often makes you much more aware of what you're putting into your mouth and provides insight and motivation into what changes need to happen.

Here's a link to a free food and activity diary called Figwee. What's different about this tool is it provides a picture of what you've eaten along with the nutritional information.

While your lizard brain may not be happy with your new focus, your waistline will.