Avoiding Temptation: Stock Your Pantry Right
Imagine this: You venture into your kitchen and are greeted by fresh fruits and vegetables, some leftover chicken breast from the night before, a cup of Greek yogurt, and a large piece of chocolate cake you brought home the other day from your co-worker’s birthday party. You’re hungry and that chocolate cake is calling for you – temptation overcomes you and you down 600 calories consisting almost entirely of sugar and fat. Fortunately, these kinds of temptations (and the 600 calorie price tag) are very much avoidable if you learn how to properly stock your kitchen.
Eliminate Junk Food
The simplest way to avoid succumbing to temptations is to simply get rid of them. Fill your fridge and pantry with fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and nuts so that when you’re hungry, you only have healthful options to choose from.
Make a Grocery List
And stick to it. Professional marketing teams do everything they can to make their products look absolutely irresistible on the grocery store shelves; so if you’re not careful, you’ll be the one making silly impulse purchases. Outsmart the cheap tricks and plan what you’re going to buy ahead of time. When you’re unloading your cart, make sure each item you’re buying was on the list. If it wasn’t, ditch it.
Keep Food in the Kitchen
It’s not uncommon for people to have a stash of food somewhere in their bedrooms or living rooms so they have easy access when they get hungry. Sure it’s convenient, but it can easily result in a bad case of overeating. By keeping all of your food in the kitchen, you’re forcing yourself to better think through your food choice. If you’re going to eat something outside of the kitchen, take only your portion with you and leave the rest where it belongs. Part of avoiding temptation is simply making it more difficult on yourself to overeat.
Eat a Variety of Foods
Boredom can lead to impulse fast food runs which will only present us with more opportunities to give in to temptation. Just because you should make a grocery list before shopping doesn’t mean you can’t try new things. Check out the ads in your local paper – if something looks good, do more research and see if you can find the nutritional label online. If you like what you see, jot it down on your list and consider buying it next time you go grocery shopping. This way you’ll have opportunities to add variety to your meals without making rash, impulse decisions while you’re at the grocery store.
Get Your Family and Friends On-Board
If someone has a gambling problem, they probably shouldn’t be hanging around people who play poker every night. The same principle goes for people who are trying to stick to their diets but are afraid of giving in to temptation. I’m by no means telling you to ditch your friends and family – just make sure they know that you’re trying to eat well so they’re not the ones accidentally tempting you to stray from your diet.