Keep Your Focus on the Food!

Do you watch TV while eating an evening meal or snacking? Don’t. Focus on the food.

The traditional art of TV time during dinner time could be undermining your desire to lose weight in a sustainable fashion.

A recent study has suggested that carrying out an engaging task while eating distracts and may inadvertently encourage you to consume more.

The Mirror has reported on research from the University of Sussex involving 120 participants, which concluded that if you’re eating or drinking while multi-tasking and taking part in an engaging task then you are less likely to realise how full you are.

Professor Martin Yeomans from the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex, is quoted in the article as saying; “You’re more likely to keep snacking than if you’d been eating while doing something less engaging.

“This is important for anyone wanting to stay a healthy weight: If you’re a habitual TV-watching snacker – watching, say, an engaging thriller or mystery, or a film with a lot of audio or visual effects – you’re not likely to notice when you feel full. Video-gamers and crossword solvers should also take note!”

Remember to focus on the food!

How else can you create a positive diet?

By ruling out the bad habits – eating while watching TV – you are helping create an environment for a more positive diet. More generally, but just as important, other tips for healthy eating include:

Opt for higher fibre carbohydrates: Choose whole-wheat pasta, brown rice or potatoes with their skins on for that fibre boost.

Aim for five-a-day: Eating the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables can be tricky, but with a choice of fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced, there are plenty of options to sneak some more fruit and veg into your daily intake.

Eat more fish: The NHS suggests eating two portions of fish a week, including one oily fish portion. Salmon, trout and herring are great examples of oily fish, while non-oily fish options include haddock, plaice and cod.

Cut down on saturated fat, sugar and salt: By cutting these down in your diet, you are restricting the weight-inducing elements which are not part of a healthy diet, or if you do consume any of them, make  sure it’s in moderation.

We’d also encourage you to take up a form of exercise. You can find a range of exercise videos to do in your own living on our YouTube channel by clicking here.