March Madness doesn’t have to mean losing control over eating!
New Year’s resolutions made in January to eat healthy don’t have to be sabotaged during March Madness. Click the link in our bio to learn about good habits for snacking, and become a champion at healthy eating.
I recommend the practice of what we call “mindful eating.” Whether it’s the craziness of the ballgame itself or the stress of hosting a watch party, overeating can easily happen, and you should be mindful of that.
Here are a few simple guidelines to practice mindful eating during March Madness:
- Listen to your body and stop eating when you are full. It takes about 20 minutes for the satiation signal to reach the brain, which is why we often overeat unconsciously.
- When your stomach is growling or if you feel like your energy is low…eat. Don’t ignore the signals your body gives you or you could overeat later.
- Eat with others at the same time to help prevent wandering around and eating at random times and places.
- When it’s time to eat, just eat. Try not to be on your cell phone or engaging in other activities. This can cause overconsumption.
- As much as possible, eat foods that are healthy and full of nutrients.
- Try baking, not frying when preparing cheese sticks, wings or other game-time favorites to cut down on calories.
- Serving size matters; serve mini corn dogs, mini meatballs or hamburger sliders when indulging in higher carb/fat foods.
- Seek out crunchy alternatives; instead of potato chips, try carrots, celery or low-fat pretzels.
- Use skim or reduced fat products when possible when making recipes with cream cheese or shredded cheese. Avoid regular mayo and use avocado mayo instead.
- If making ranch or taco dip, use non-fat plain Greek yogurt.
- If eating or making dips, serve with pita bread or baked chips rather than higher-fat fried chips.
Find some more recipes in the rest of the article!
Adapted from https://uoflhealth.org/articles/march-madness-doesnt-have-to-mean-losing-control-over-eating/.
