Eat Once we are Bored – A craving for salt in the late morning, a desire for sweets in the afternoon. And also, bread and cheese on the way home from work, there are many opportunities to snack, especially when you are at home, and even more so when you do nothing”.
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Distinguishing “real” hunger from “false” hunger
Eat”, but the sensation is not physical. There are two types of hunger: physiological hunger and psychological hunger. If organic signals express physiological need: crawling stomach, the impression of a “hole” in the stomach, weakness or even dizziness, etc., psychological hunger shows no sign: we are hungry, or instead, we “want to eat.”
This type of hunger most often appears when you are bored and feel a void you want to fill with food without this solution being conscious. Filling oneself physically then makes it possible to fill the psychological void.
The emotional pounds
The foods chosen have an “emotional” function; we turn to them for their comforting value: sweets, snacks, etc. However, we rarely turn to fruits and vegetables for a good reason: the brain’s reward system activates when we eat sweet foods.
The dopamine surges caused by sugar consumption promote a good mood. As for fat, researchers have shown that part of the assimilated lipids (those transformed into triglycerides) “goes up” to the brain and interacts with the neurons transmitting dopamine, the pleasure hormone.
How to fight boredom hunger?
To stop the boredom and food mechanism, the ideal is to find alternative routines and distract yourself other than with food. Think of an activity you could do to occupy your body and mind. This activity must be quick to set up, easy and accessible, such as reading a book, calling a comrade, going for a walk, drinking a large glass of water, etc.
Practicing meditation also helps free your mind from food. Become aware of your emotional hunger and verbalize your emotions: “I want to eat because I’m bored”. This distancing and this awareness will allow you to become an actor of your choices again and not give in to impulses.
Finally, try to plan your meals and snacks as much as possible. That prevents you from being caught off guard and cracking up on anything and everything. Likewise, when you go shopping, leave with a full stomach.
If the impulses are too strong and the natural weight gain or the diet too unbalanced, it is advisable to accompany a professional.
Why We Eat When We Bored?
For years, I’ve been salaried on being supplementary mindful of my eating habits. As a result, I’ve been paying more attention to which diets I pick and when to eat. While I eat to satisfy physical hunger most of the time, I’ve found that several other situations can be upshot in nutrition for me.
Stress, frustration and absence of sleep are a couple I’ve observed. Although occasionally, I find myself skipping meals during these epochs as well. When I’m feeling festive, I may reach for a beer or want to go out to eat, but I could just as quickly climb or experiment with cooking a new healthy meal.
With boredom, though, I always need to eat no matter where I am or what I’m doing! So I’m tired during work, I’ll wander to the marketing machines and buy rather salty. And if I’m inactive at home with nothing to do, I’ll search the kitchen for something sweet.
More Information:
Most people I’ve talked to say that monotony is a big trigger for them to want to eat. And it looks I’m not alone in this. Our brains somehow decided that the best way to relieve monotony is to find something to eat! However, there are three fundamental problems with this approach:
- Our bodies don’t need any food in most situations. That means we’re getting more calories than we really need. And most likely messing up our appetite for our next meal.
- Most of us never, ever choose to eat vegetables when bored. Instead, we always select salty snacks or desserts with barely any nutritional value. So not only are we extra attainment calories. Those calories are providing us with additional salt or sweetie that we most likely don’t need.
- Now, I can’t speak for others, but I noticed if I eat when I’m boring. I rarely feel satisfy I’m done.
Also Read: Oats and their Health Benefits – Source of Fibre, Lower Cholesterol, and More
