Mindless & Mindful Eating

              
             With the rise of obesity in the American population it's no wonder it has become a nationwide health concern for the public causing many studies and research as to why the sudden surge of weight gain, some studies claiming its the lack or decline of physical activity others suggesting that its all about portion control... while this may all be true and both spectrum giving vital information its a no brainer that both portion control as well as increasing daily activities do go hand in hand and play a vital role in daily physical evolution of the human body in terms of everyday life... be that as it may it is important to figure and understand some of the things that trigger us causing us to over eat, starting with:
 

• Learning what size your plate should be

 

because the typical plate size in the United States is between 11-13 inches we are significantly increasing our portions and calories, which according to Dietitians-Online, an 11inch plate can hold up to or about 1,600 which is about a 30% increase in calories compared to a 10inch plate, when really our plates should only be able to hold up or about 800 calories considering we should be eating out of 9inch plates.

What your typical meal should look like: (according to onemedical.com)

        
 but instead a typical American meal might looks a little something like this...

             Knowing Mindful and Mindless eating
 
Eat until you are 80 percent full if you have no idea what that even feels like basically once you begin to feel any stomach pressure then you are at the "80 percent full" stage or eat until you are no longer hungry, instead of eating until you realize you are full. 
Most people are used to eating until they realize they are full, which is past satiation because the brain actually needs about 20 minutes to receive the "I'm full signal".
Another thing is to disconnect yourself from your distractions and tune into your plate... when you concentrate on your food you tend to enjoy it more and are more likely to chew more thoroughly than you would have had you been disconnected from your plate which is an added bonus simply because since digestion starts at the mouth properly chewed food means less work for your digestive system.


            Contagious Eating Habits
its a no brainer that we can easily be influenced and are more likely to do the same and be into the same things that our friends do so if you have friends that consume soft drinks and fast food its likely that you also have a higher intake of the same foods, just as people with friends that opt for healthier choices are more likely to go for healthier alternatives.