How to Eat to Live
Determine why you currently practice the “living to eat” mentality., Improve your nutrition by eating more healthy, whole foods, and fewer sugary, fatty, and processed foods., Find new ways to manage stress, or eliminate stressors from your life...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Determine why you currently practice the “living to eat” mentality.
Do you eat out of boredom? Do you enjoy indulging in certain junk foods? Do you practice emotional eating? Determining the root cause of why you live to eat can help you along the path to eating to live. -
Step 2: Improve your nutrition by eating more healthy
Sugary, fatty, and processed foods often contain chemicals and preservatives that can throw off your body’s natural hormonal balance, and trigger cravings.Consume a higher amount of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, leafy greens, and healthy fats to eliminate cravings for junk food, desserts, and other fatty foods. , Stress causes your body to release higher amounts of cortisol, which is a stress hormone that disrupts your body’s hormonal balance and triggers cravings and overeating.
Coping with stress effectively can also help eliminate problems associated with emotional eating.Start practicing yoga or deep breathing, exercise regularly, listen to relaxing music, or engage in similar activities that can prevent you from becoming stressed. , Getting too little sleep and not feeling rested on a daily basis will disrupt your hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin, and lead to overeating and poor food choices, respectively.Go to bed earlier every night, and improve your sleeping environment as best as possible by eliminating light and noise, and by sleeping on a comfortable mattress and bedding. , Exercising regularly can naturally help improve and regulate your body’s insulin levels, which may be high if you have type 2 diabetes or indulge frequently in processed foods, or foods high in sugar and fat.
High blood sugar levels can trigger cravings, and contribute to the “live to eat” mentality., In some cases, you may have developed a “live to eat” mentality as a result of engaging in activities that strictly revolve around food.
For example, if you usually visit a food buffet or happy hour every week to enjoy pizza or chicken wings with your friends, suggest engaging in a new activity that doesn’t involve food, such as shopping or hiking. , Sometimes, gaining a better understanding about how certain foods, chemicals, and preservatives affect your health can help steer you toward “eating to live.” , Eliminating junk foods and introducing new foods and flavors to your diet can help you forge a healthier relationship with food, and can naturally help reduce cravings for junk foods.
For example, cook meals using olive oil instead of butter, use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, and flavor your meals with natural herbs and spices instead of using table salt., If you typically live to eat as a result of chronic boredom, pack your schedule with fun activities that can help keep your mind off food.
Read more books, go shopping, spend more time with friends and family, or dive into a personal project you’ve been putting off. , Sometimes, mental health professionals can work with you on becoming healthier so you can focus more on eating to live, instead of living to eat. -
Step 3: whole foods
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Step 4: and fewer sugary
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Step 5: and processed foods.
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Step 6: Find new ways to manage stress
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Step 7: or eliminate stressors from your life.
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Step 8: Get more sleep on a nightly basis.
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Step 9: Exercise on a regular basis.
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Step 10: Take a break from engaging in activities that revolve around food.
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Step 11: Work with a nutritionist
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Step 12: dietitian
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Step 13: or healthcare provider to learn more about how nutrition can affect your overall health and livelihood.
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Step 14: Experiment with trying new
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Step 15: healthy foods and ingredient swaps.
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Step 16: Spend any free time doing your favorite activities that don’t involve food.
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Step 17: Make an appointment with a therapist
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Step 18: psychologist
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Step 19: or similar professional who can help you conquer problems with emotional eating
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Step 20: if necessary.
Detailed Guide
Do you eat out of boredom? Do you enjoy indulging in certain junk foods? Do you practice emotional eating? Determining the root cause of why you live to eat can help you along the path to eating to live.
Sugary, fatty, and processed foods often contain chemicals and preservatives that can throw off your body’s natural hormonal balance, and trigger cravings.Consume a higher amount of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, leafy greens, and healthy fats to eliminate cravings for junk food, desserts, and other fatty foods. , Stress causes your body to release higher amounts of cortisol, which is a stress hormone that disrupts your body’s hormonal balance and triggers cravings and overeating.
Coping with stress effectively can also help eliminate problems associated with emotional eating.Start practicing yoga or deep breathing, exercise regularly, listen to relaxing music, or engage in similar activities that can prevent you from becoming stressed. , Getting too little sleep and not feeling rested on a daily basis will disrupt your hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin, and lead to overeating and poor food choices, respectively.Go to bed earlier every night, and improve your sleeping environment as best as possible by eliminating light and noise, and by sleeping on a comfortable mattress and bedding. , Exercising regularly can naturally help improve and regulate your body’s insulin levels, which may be high if you have type 2 diabetes or indulge frequently in processed foods, or foods high in sugar and fat.
High blood sugar levels can trigger cravings, and contribute to the “live to eat” mentality., In some cases, you may have developed a “live to eat” mentality as a result of engaging in activities that strictly revolve around food.
For example, if you usually visit a food buffet or happy hour every week to enjoy pizza or chicken wings with your friends, suggest engaging in a new activity that doesn’t involve food, such as shopping or hiking. , Sometimes, gaining a better understanding about how certain foods, chemicals, and preservatives affect your health can help steer you toward “eating to live.” , Eliminating junk foods and introducing new foods and flavors to your diet can help you forge a healthier relationship with food, and can naturally help reduce cravings for junk foods.
For example, cook meals using olive oil instead of butter, use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, and flavor your meals with natural herbs and spices instead of using table salt., If you typically live to eat as a result of chronic boredom, pack your schedule with fun activities that can help keep your mind off food.
Read more books, go shopping, spend more time with friends and family, or dive into a personal project you’ve been putting off. , Sometimes, mental health professionals can work with you on becoming healthier so you can focus more on eating to live, instead of living to eat.
About the Author
Carolyn Kennedy
Creates helpful guides on pet care to inspire and educate readers.
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