PHYSICAL
EDUCATION AND
HEALTH
MY PLATE
[Link]
Eating
Habits
EATING HABITS INVENTORY
Did you.. YES/NO WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT?
Eat any of your meals quickly?
Eat out today?
Eat too much sweets today?
Skip any meals today?
Consume any soft drinks
today?
Eat any bag of chips today?
Eat a big portioned meal
today?
Identify personal eating habits
Learning Understanding the importance
of eating in relation to fitness
targets
Create a personal checklist on
eating habits
Guide Questions
1. How does the environment
affect your eating habits?
2. What are some common bad
eating habits?
3. How to fix bad eating habits?
4. How can I change my eating
habits?
Introduction
The food you eat can affect your health and your risk for certain
diseases. To eat healthier food, you may need to change some of
your daily habits. You also may need to change some things in
your environment. Your environment includes everything around
you, like your home or the place you work.
You don't need to make huge changes to eat healthier. And you
don't have to change your habits all at the same time. It's best to
set small goals and change your habits a little bit at a time. Over
time, small changes can make a big difference in your health.
Changing your eating habits and your
environment can help you eat
This information healthier foods.
will help you
make useful A healthy diet is good for your overall
health. It also can help you reach a
changes for healthy weight and stay there.
healthy eating. To improve your eating habits, it's
best to make small lifestyle changes
that you can keep doing over time.
Bad Habits
Mindless Eating
• Cornell University food psychologist Brian
Wansink, PhD, discovered that the larger the
plate or bowl you eat from, the more you
unknowingly consume.
• In one recent study, Wansink found that
moviegoers given extra-large containers of
stale popcorn still ate 45 percent more than
those snacking on fresh popcorn out of
smaller containers holding the same amount.
• The Fix: Eat from smaller dishes. Try
swapping out your large dinner plate for a
salad plate, and never eat straight from a
container or package.
Nighttime Noshing
•Diet folklore suggests that eating at night is almost never a good idea if
you want to lose weight. Although many experts say this old adage is pure
myth, a new animal study backs up the idea that it’s not only what you eat
but also when you eat that counts.
•Researchers at Northwestern University found that mice given high-fat
foods during the day (when these nocturnal animals should have been
sleeping) gained significantly more weight than mice given the same diet at
night.
•The Fix: The diet take-away here? After dinner, teach yourself to think of
the kitchen as being closed for the night, and brush your teeth — you’ll
want to eat less with a newly cleaned mouth. If a craving hits, wait 10
minutes. If you’re still truly hungry, reach for something small like string
cheese or a piece of fruit.
Endless Snacking
•Here’s a bad habit many are guilty of: snacking round-the-
clock, often on high-calorie foods that are full of empty carbs.
•A recent study at the University of North Carolina found that
it isn’t just a problem for adults: kids are snacking more and
more often on unhealthy junk food including salty chips,
soda, and candy.
•The Fix: Jessica Crandall, RD, a spokeswoman for the
American Dietetic Association. Don’t stock your desk or
pantry with potato chips or cookies you know you can’t
resist. Keep only healthy snacks within reach, such as
hummus, carrots and cucumber slices, air-popped popcorn,
yogurt, and almonds.
Skipping Breakfast
•You know that breakfast really is the most important meal of the day,
but with so many other tasks competing for your attention, you may
decide you don’t have time to eat. When you skip meals, your
metabolism begins to slow, Crandall explains, plus, breakfast gives you
that boost of energy you need to take on your day. Without this fuel,
chances are, you’ll just overeat later.
• A new study of Chinese schoolchildren found that those who skipped
breakfast gained significantly more weight over a two-year period than
those who ate a morning meal.
•The Fix: Have ready healthy breakfast foods you can consume on the
run, Crandall says. If you’re rushed, try easy items such as whole fruit,
yogurt, homemade cereal bars, and smoothies.
Emotional Eating
•You had a bad day at the office, and when you get home, you open
the refrigerator and eat — not a good diet strategy. “You put food in
your mouth as a coping mechanism,” Crandall says.
• A number of studies confirm that emotions, both positive and
negative, can cause people to eat more than they should, an easy
weight-loss stumbling block.
• The Fix: Find a new stress-buster, Crandall says. “If you’re
stressed out at work, when you get home, take a walk instead of
eating or call a friend who will be empathetic," she suggests. "You
can vent and take some of the stress off your shoulders.” Choose
any activity you like as long as it keeps you out of the kitchen
Eating Too Quickly
•Wolfing down your food, whether you’re snacking or
eating a meal, doesn’t give your brain time to catch up
with your stomach. Your brain doesn’t signal that you’re
full until about 15 to 20 minutes after you’ve started
eating. If you gulp down your meal in 10 minutes or less,
you could end up eating way more than you need.
• In a study of 3,200 men and women, Japanese
researchers found that eating too quickly was strongly
associated with being overweight.
•The Fix: To slow down your eating, physically put your
fork down between bites, take smaller bites, and be sure
to chew each bite thoroughly. Also, drinking water
throughout your meal will help you slow down and feel
fuller as you go.
Not Getting Enough Sleep
•Could not getting enough sleep ruin your weight-loss
efforts? Yes, according to a recent analysis by researchers
in Tokyo. They found that men and women who slept five
hours or less a night were more likely to gain weight than
those who slept seven hours or more.
•The Fix: Establish a routine for yourself, and try to go to
bed and wake up at about the same times every day, even
on weekends. Keep the bedroom dark and comfortable,
and avoid TV or computers for at least an hour before bed.
If you need extra motivation to shut off the lights early,
remember that the better you sleep, the better the number
when you step on the scale in the morning.
Vegging Out With Video Games
•If you’re watching TV, sitting in front of a computer, or playing video
games, it’s not only mindless snacking in front of the screen that you
have to worry about.
•A new study found that teens who played video games for just one
hour ate more the rest of the day, which resulted in weight gain. The
researchers weren’t sure why playing video games caused the boys
to eat more, but said it’s possible that sitting in front of a computer
all day could have a similar effect on adults and lead to snacking.
•The Fix: Take frequent breaks when you’re in front of the computer
— get up and walk around the room or office every 15 to 30
minutes. When the workday or your favorite TV show ends,
remember to carefully monitor what you consume to you don’t
overstuff yourself.
Eating Junk Food
•You know junk food doesn’t help your waistline, but the
effect may be worse than you think. Several animal
studies have found that rat’s brains find high-fat, high-
sugar foods to be addictive . Another study found that
eating comfort food actually triggers feelings of happiness
in humans.
•The Fix: The solution isn’t to eliminate your favorite
indulgences from your diet — that will only make you
crave them more, Crandall says. The key to weight-loss
success is to identify what you really want, and indulge in
your favorite foods in moderation as special treats, not
every day.
Bad Eating Habits
•Mindless Eating
•Nighttime Noshing
•Endless Snacking
•Skipping Breakfast
•Emotional Eating
•Eating Too Quickly
•Not Getting Enough Sleep
•Vegging Out With Video Games
•Eating Junk Food
How can you change your
eating habits?
Keep more fruits, low-fat dairy products (low-fat milk and
low-fat yogurt), vegetables, and whole-grain foods at
home and at work. Focus on adding healthy food to your
diet, rather than just taking unhealthy foods away.
Try to eat a family meal every day at the kitchen or dining
table. This will help you focus on eating healthy meals.
Buy a healthy-recipe book, and cook for yourself. Chew
gum when you cook so you won't be tempted to snack on
the ingredients.
Pack a healthy lunch and snacks for work. This lets you
have more control over what you eat.
How can you change your
eating habits?
Put your snacks on a plate instead of eating from the package. This
helps you control how much you eat.
Don't skip or delay meals, and be sure to schedule your snacks. If you
ignore your feelings of hunger, you may end up eating too much or
choosing an unhealthy snack. If you often feel too hungry, it can cause
you to focus a lot on food.
Eat your meals with others when you can. Relax and enjoy your meals,
and don't eat too fast. Try to make healthy eating a pleasure, not a
chore.
Drink water instead of high-sugar drinks (including high-sugar juice
When will you start?
ACTIVITY
THE DAILY MEAL LOG, FILL IN YOUR MEALS FOR THREE CONSECUTIVE
DAYS. LIST DOWN THE COMPONENTS OF THE MEAL AS MUCH AS
POSSSIBLE.
DAILY MEAL LOG
DAY BREAKDOWN OF MEAL/ NUMBER OF DOCUMENTATION | PICTURES
SERVINGS
BREAKFAST
AM SNACKS
LUNCH
PM SNACKS
DINNER
SNACKS
SPECIFIC CRAVINGS
