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 How to beat ‘location’ eating triggers:

At Home:

• Keep high-calorie snacks out of sight or
out of the house.
• Make fruit and water easily
accessible.
• For emergencies, choose a trigger back-up snack. These are choices that are good  enough to satisfy cravings for foods higher in fat or energy but feel like a treat. For example, low-fat  vanilla custard on a banana, sprinkled with a little
cinnamon sugar – yumbo!

Supermarket:

Don’t shop hungry! Eat something
before you leave home.

Hotel room:

Have the snacks removed from your room before you get there.

 
Plane:

Order a low-fat or low-calorie meal when you book your ticket. 

Service station:

Go directly to the counter and keep your eyes on the attendant, so you’re not distracted by the high fat or sugar snacks.

Office:

Keep a piece of fruit and bottle of water on your desk at all times.

Business lunch:

Start with a jug of water. Make salad a must-have menu item. Leave what you can’t eat, rather than take home a doggy bag. 

The mall:

Carry a piece of fruit and know where your need to go so as not wander past several food outlets.

At a party:
Move away from the food table and find someone interesting to talk to. Bring a plate of low-fat tasty snacks. No one will notice your ricotta cheese and sweet chilli sauce dip is actually low fat!

Just as locations and the presence of high-calorie food can present negative triggers, easy access to healthy food can give you a source of positive eating triggers. Which locations do you need strategies for?


Matt O'Neill - MSc(Nut&Diet), BSpSc, Dietitian
www.smartshape.com.au