It can be tough sticking to a healthy lifestyle when your routine has been disrupted. Try these 5 tips for mindful eating while working from home:
- Include fibre and protein with your breakfast and lunch.
Both increase feelings of satiety, making you less likely to think of your next snack 2 minutes finishing your meal. Try oats with peanut butter or egg on wholegrain toast for breakfast. For lunch, try salad with chickpeas or steamed sweet potato with cottage cheese.
- Be prepared.
If you don’t have bananas in the house, you can’t have them as a snack. Make a shopping list of healthy snacks to prevent mindless munching throughout the day.
- Practice portion control.
Its easy to work your way through a whole bag of nuts if it’s just sitting there next to your laptop. Decide how much you’ll really need (of any snack) to stave off the mid-afternoon energy slump, and stick to it.
- Have water bottle on your desk.
We often just want to keep our hands busy while thinking through a problem. Plus, most of us don’t drink enough water throughout the day. Thirst cues can be mistaken for hunger, which can lead to unnecessary snacking.
- Schedule coffee, tea and snack breaks.
Set a reminder on your phone and, if possible, move away from your desk while enjoying your coffee, snack and lunch breaks. Having these mental breaks may also improve stress levels, reducing the risk of stress eating.