Last week we talked about three common traps that tempt people to overeat, and how to avoid them.  This week we’re taking on four more.

Distracted eating

Do you watch TV, play on your phone or surf the Internet while you’re eating?  It’s easy to overeat when you’re not paying attention to how much you’re eating.  Put away the distractions, enjoy your food, and listen to your body when it says it’s satisfied.

Eating out of a container with multiple servings inside

This tip applies equally to prepackaged food, and to big bowls of leftovers or pre-prepared meals.  If you’re eating from a bowl, dish, box or bag containing more than one serving, it’s easy to overeat.  You tell yourself “just one more bite” until most of the container is gone.

Always take the time to put a serving onto an individual plate or bowl.  If it’s a prepackaged food, read the label to find out how much a “serving” is.  When possible, choose fresh, whole foods.

Eat your serving, sit a moment, and then decide if you are hungry enough for another.  If you need another, take it out of the big bowl and put it on your plate before sitting down to eat it.  Do this and you’ll never again have to worry about suddenly realizing you’ve eaten most of the container.

Disproportionate eating

If your dinner is a monster steak and a side of fries, you’re missing out on important nutrition from vegetables, fruits and whole grains.  Even healthy foods can cause problems when you eat too much of them, particularly when it’s at the expense of other nutritious foods.  For example, if you live on raw vegetables, you might not be getting enough protein and vitamin B12 in your diet.  Balance your meals:  mostly vegetables, lean protein, and small portions of unbleached, unprocessed grains.

Eating too quickly

Ironically, when you don’t take a lot of time to eat, it’s easy to overeat.  Speed-eating takes your body past satisfied and well into stuffed before signals from your stomach reach your brain to tell you that you’ve had enough.

Plus, eating too quickly makes it harder for your stomach to digest your food properly.  Without proper digestion, you don’t get the full value of the nutrients you eat.  You’ll get more value out of less food if you can take your time to chew thoroughly.  Plus, you’ll enjoy the flavour of the food you’re eating.