You finish your lunch or dinner meal, leave the kitchen and soon you find yourself back in the kitchen hunting for more snack foods.
Unplanned snacking, either out of boredom or stress, can quickly derail your healthy eating program.
As an obesity medicine expert, you might be surprised to know that if you’re someone who can’t get a handle on unplanned snacking, one strategy I recommend is to brush your teeth after ever meal.
Brushing and flossing your teeth after meals can help you break the habit of unplanned snacking.
This leaves you with a fresh, clean minty mouth feel that serves as a tangible prompt to remind you that eating is over.
Pausing and thinking before reaching for that next bag of chips can help you put in place some healthier eating habits.
Though this may sound quite simplistic and may not help everyone, it may help you.
It is a win-win as your teeth will be healthier and your smile may be brighter.
I often recommend this strategy to my patients who find themselves snacking at night after dinner.
I also recommend this strategy in my new book, Six Factors to Fit: Weight Loss that Works for You!, for those who take my Six Factor Quiz and have high scores for the Easily Enticed Eater factor type.
This is the person who may never feel full and is easily enticed to eat by foods around them or emotional triggers.
If this sounds like you or if you want to get a better handle on which habits are derailing your healthy weight loss efforts, you can take my short, research-based Six Factor Quiz and get your personalized results.
If you find this strategy helpful, know that you can also use it to tame workplace overeating.
Just toss a toothbrush and toothpaste in your purse or briefcase – (spoiler alert) it’s something I’ve been doing for years.
RK
Robert Kushner, MD
