End Evening Munchies

When you get the mid-afternoon munchies...
When you feel like an evening snack...
Ask yourself:
Have I eaten enough today?

Of course, I mean have you eaten enough fruits and vegetables. I suggest that you respond to hunger or cravings (or even just the munchies) by asking this question. Have you eaten enough today? Think briefly about the fruits and vegetables you enjoyed today. Most people find that they have not eaten the '5 a day' minimum that is recommended. If that is true for you, eat some! Enjoy salads in summer, vegetable soup in winter, a big juicy apple. What a great gift to give your body.

There is no need to carry a list of 'off limits' foods in your head. There are no 'off limits' foods. There is just your body's need for good hearty nutritious foods. When you eat enough fruits and vegetables, you simply will not have as much appetite left to satisfy.

Have you eaten enough today?
Well then, eat some fruits and vegetables.
Your body will appreciate it!.

To build your healthy eating style, you may need to eat more. During this process, we will focus on what you should eat, instead of what you should not eat. There is NO RESTRICTED eating in this process. You are encouraged to eat foods that are good for your health, not to avoid any particular foods. You are encouraged to be more aware of when you are satisfied, not to limit portions.

It takes every minute
of every hour
of every day
to NOT eat something.

It takes just a moment to eat something healthy.

When you focus on selecting and eating all the wonderful tasty foods that are good for you, your time and energy will be spent eating healthy and enjoying your food. Many people 'get the munchies in the evening. If you are one of those people, ask yourself: "Have I eaten enough today?" "Did I eat enough fruit and veggies?" "Did I eat when I was hungry?" "How was my nutrition?" If you realize that you didn't eat enough veggies, you could have a salad or bowl of vegetable soup. If you notice that you were low on protein today, you could have a high protein snack. If you realize that you were hungry and had nothing to eat, you could plan a way to avoid that situation in the future.

The recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables per day is FI VE to NINE. I call these foods the "live foods". Few people get enough live foods in the course of the day. If you want to eat healthier, eat more fruits and vegetables. This sounds like a simple goal to achieve. This is not a simple goal. This goal, like so many lifestyle goals, is much more complicated than it seems at first glance. Be prepared to go through a process of trying things that sometimes work, and sometimes don't. If you planned on eating more fruits and veggies, but somehow it just didn't work out. Welcome to the human race! Be patient with yourself. Consider it a mystery. Work on solving the mystery, taking one step at a time.

Ask yourself questions like these:

  • ¨Do I have access to fruits and veggies? You may need to change the way you shop and store your produce. This could involve reworking your entire schedule to include a different shopping pattern. You may need to learn new ways of ordering food at restaurants or come up with better ways of packing your lunch.
  • ¨Do I have enjoyment-based motivation to eat your fruits and veggies? You may not be able to motivate yourself just because "it is good for you", but you can motivate yourself with foods that taste and look appetizing. Find delicious ways to enjoy these healthy foods, then you will eat them because you enjoy them. Keep a beautiful fruit bowl on your table or desk, then you will eat fruit because it looks so tasty.
  • Are there any problems with eating fruits and veggies that I need to solve? Some people have digestive problems, mouth or tooth pain, gas, etc. That does not mean you need to give up on getting your healthy "live food". Get creative. Try fruits and veggies that are new to you. Experiment with food combinations and time of day that you eat. If you have gas, try Beano(tm) (a natural food enzyme that you eat with your food that helps digestion and reduce gas).

This type of problem solving is part of the process of 'back up, don't beat up'. You will plan to eat better foods. Sometimes you will. Those are times to notice what helped you to take care of yourself. Sometimes you will not eat as you had planned. Those are the times to back up and think about what got in the way. Writing may be a useful tool as you think through these problems. It can help you respect how complicated the process of change is. Writing can help you appreciate the effort that you put into eating healthier. It is worth the effort to include more fruits and veggies in your day. If you feel like you really want to make a difference in the way you eat, pay attention to what you DO (rather than what you want to avoid). Think about what foods you want to INCREASE. Don't think about limiting or eliminating foods.

When you get the munchies, ask yourself: "Have I eaten enough today?" The munchies are not the problem. The fact that you may need better nutrition and more fruits and vegetables is one of the problems. This can be a rather enjoyable problem to solve. Get some tasty and nutritious food and enjoy it.

Please contact me with your questions and suggestions.
Just email me (email address below).
I will be happy to respond.