5 Steps To Improve Your Eating Habits

We’re all guilty of having one or two bad habits when it comes to food. Whether it’s eating too quickly, having too much sugar or ordering too many take-outs, there are a variety of ways that our eating habits can impact our lives.

However, if you do struggle when it comes to food, there are a few things you can be doing to improve your eating habits and your overall health.

The International Authority for Professional Coaching & Mentoring is the leading accreditation authority for professional coaches. Here we ask, one of their accredited coaches, Dr. Valentini Konstantinidou, to share 5 ways we can improve our eating habits

1. Write a list – it may sound pretty obvious, but writing a list will help you rationalise and understand what habits you want to change and will prevent you from forgetting them in the future. If you’re aware of the one (or many) bad habits that you have when it comes to food, write them down and keep them noted on your phone, laptop or notepad.

2. Go one at a time – kicking your habits isn’t something that is going to happen overnight – it will take time and it may be tough. If you have more than one habit that you want to improve, take them on one at a time and don’t challenge yourself to drop them all in one go. Taking such an extreme measure will make the process incredibly tough and may lead to failure.

3. Calculate your chewing time – chewing is not only an important part of the digestive process but it’s also beneficial to overall health. People who don’t chew their food well enough before they swallow often develop digestive problems and are also at greater risk to problems such as choking and dehydration. Many experts say you should aim for 32 chews before swallowing, but this varies from food to food.

4. Drink enough water – the body is roughly 60% water, give or take. You are constantly losing water from your body, primarily via urine and sweat. To prevent dehydration, you need to drink adequate amounts of water. On average, you should be consuming two litres of water per day, not only will this hydrate the body but it will improve your skin, energy levels, concentration, and your digestive system.

5. Sit down and relax – in the busy nature of modern living, not enough people are taking the time to sit down and enjoy a meal. Many of us either eat on the go or standing in our office kitchen. However, eating while standing up may increase the speed at which you eat; potentially causing to overeat and consume more calories than you would if you were sitting down. Not only that, but by sitting down and spending no less than 15 minutes enjoying your food, you may also help the brain register that you've consumed a "real meal," reducing the likelihood you'll overeat during the following meal.