Many of us eat for reasons that have nothing to do with good nutrition. We eat because we are sad, we eat because we are happy. We eat when we are bored but also when socialising. If you are trying to change your eating habits to be the healthiest version of you, being more mindful and intentional with your eating is a good starting point for that journey of self-discovery.

Do a Digital Detox. Before you start a meal, remove cell phones, laptops, and TV from view. Banning technology from mealtimes will help you be more present at meals. When you pay attention to your eating and fullness cues, you are less likely to overindulge.

HALT. Before Eating. Taking a few minutes to examine the emotions behind your eating behaviour may help you to make smarter choices around food. The acronym HALT help you examine those feelings. Ask yourself, am I Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired? It is also important to stop and read your food labels, a vital skill to learn when striving to be healthier.

At FitChef, we are proud of our clean labels with real ingredients and absolutely no additives, preservatives, or artificial ingredients.
 
Work for It. To slow you down when eating, include more foods that require some effort to eat, such as peeling a naartjie or peeling pistachios out of the shell.

Shrink your plate. Interestingly, dinner plates in restaurants and in our homes have gotten bigger over the years, and consequently, so have the amount of food we dish up. A 2015 study showed that when a plate size is doubled, this increases the amount of food eaten by 41%. Halving the size of the plate results in eating 30% less food. Try eating off a side plate to help control portions. Even if choosing better quality foods, you still have to pay attention to portions. FitChef meals are prepared with portions in mind and you can choose if you want to eat more or less, depending on your weight goals, activity levels and appetite.

Go with Colour. According to a study by food psychologist, Dr Brian Wansink, the colour of your plate can influence what you eat. The researchers found that when a plate and the food on it had a low colour contrast (such as white rice on a white plate), participants served  22% more than when there was a higher colour contrast (like a tomato-based pasta on a white plate or baked potato on a red plate). The key learning? To eat less it is best to choose plates with a colour contrast to the food you are serving. Use this to your advantage to eat healthier foods: serve a big salad on a large green plate.

Chew your food. Paying attention to the numbers of chews you are taking ultimately slows you down which leads to eating less. When we eat more slowly, we tend to eat more mindfully, and, in turn, eat less.

Failing to plan is planning to fail. Healthy eating is an investment that requires balance of buying and making food ahead of time and having meals readily available. Be mindful to take time just once a week to plan your meals ahead of time. If you've committed to healthier eating, FitChef is your perfect nutrition partner with effective kick-start packages for weight loss or getting your health back on track, but also maintenance kits, individual meals, smoothies and a variety of healthy snacks to keep you going with the FitChef #EatClean lifestyle according to your budget. For your added convenience, our new grocery list includes eggs (free-roaming farm), milk and cheese (free-roaming grass-fed, organic principles), bread (60-hour long-fermented sourdough sliced school-loaf & artisan loaves - sliced & blast frozen), meats (grass-fed, free-range, routine hormone and antibiotic-free), and veggies (perfect roasting veg, just add olive oil. Convenient portions vacuum-packed and frozen).

Be Responsible When You Cheat. Cheat mindfully and with intention and you will need only a few bites to be fully satisfied. Have a few slices of pizza while at lunch with friends instead of guzzling the whole pizza alone in front of the TV. Pay attention to how the food smells and tastes and remove distractions. Chew slowly in order to fully enjoy the treat in that moment.