How to Stop Eating Junk Regularly

I have a confession to make… I've been eating foods regularly that I tell you not to eat!  Like cake, (4 times in one week, ahh!).

My guidelines for treats are to eat them on special occasions only (chocolate on Valentines day, cake on grandma's 80th birthday etc.) and to eat them outside of the house to avoid over-eating which will impede on your health and weight-loss goals.  

Why did I not follow my own recommendations?

Like you, I have A LOT going on.  Working full-time on an organic veggie farm, building my business, keeping up with relationships, moving and the list goes on (sound familiar?).

At work, the organic veggie farm, there tends to be a lot of 'junk' food in the break room… donuts, cake, ice-cream bars etc. on an almost daily basis.  Which normally, I honestly do fine around.  I don't care that it's there and don't care about eating it.  I'm not even a big cake person and after eating so well for so many years, not being addicting to fat, sugar and salt, treats rarely tempt me.

However, towards the end of the summer when I was exhausted, physically worked and with everything else going on in life, I walked into the break room and you-betcha, there was cake.  And you know what, I ate some!  

Within that week, after that first initial sugar blast, I ended up eating a chocolate muffin, a donut and another piece of cake all within 5 days.

 

How to Stop Eating Junk Regularly

How did I stop this pattern of destructive behavior?  

1.  First off, I made up my mind that I just needed to stop because I couldn't let myself go down the junk-food path again.

2.  More importantly, I sanitized my environment or removed myself from unhealthy eating environments to not tempt myself and decrease my chances of eating treats.

This means that at work, I just stopped going in the break room for lunch.  I can't remove other people's food and treats, so I removed myself from them instead (I ate lunch under a tree and enjoyed the beautiful view).

3.  You should never keep treats in your home as well.  This way, if you have a rough day and are hungry and tempted you can't eat ice-cream because it's not there!  

When you try and use will-power to eat healthy, it's only a matter of time until you give-in to foods you shouldn't eat.  That's why it's so important to set-up your environment so it works for you, not against you.

If your husband still eats junk food and you're trying to stop, ask him to move all of the food you don't want to eat into a separate cabinet or to a place in the house where you don't have to see it and know where it is.  Out of sight, out of mind.

4.  Lastly, if you do end up eating some junk don't beat yourself up about it!  Just brush it off and try again.  

5.  If you eat a healthy, plant-based diet 90% of the time and end up eating some cake like I did, it's not that big of a deal (especially because I don't have any diseases).  I eat so well the rest of the time that a piece of cake (or 4) isn't going to do much damage.  

However, if you're eating cake and donuts weekly, meat, cheese, oil and refined flour products daily, you're going to be in trouble and it's highly likely you're going to gain weight or are setting yourself up for diabetes, cancer or heart disease later in life and I don't want to see that happen to you or your family!  

If you're interested in adopting a health-promoting and permanent weight-loss diet learn what to eat here and here.

Take Control Now

How have you stopped eating junk in the past?  What's your biggest insight from this article to share with others?

Answer in the comments section below.

3 Ways to Stop Eating Junk Regularly

We're constantly bombarded with unhealthy foods everyday.  Cupcakes tempt us in the lunch line; cookies are always available with coffee; and co-workers consistantly bring in junk food to share.    

Because we're constantly assaulted with disease promoting foods, it's essential you learn how to set yourself up for success in these situations... how to increase your chances of choosing the healthiest foods in your house, your office etc.  

And trust me, I know this can be difficult.  In my studio apartment, I literally sleep in my kitchen.  My bed is 5ft from the fridge!

If I want any chance of eating a healthy, plant-based diet on a daily basis, I have to set my environment up in a way that promotes eating optimally... I have to sanitize it!

When you sanitize your environment, or clean it up, you no longer have to rely on will-power to try and eat healthy.  Which is awesome because will-power doesn't work!  

It's only a matter of time until the free cookies in the break room start calling your name, or the ice-cream in the fridge.  Our bodies are specifically designed to seek out these foods.  We naturally desire calorie dense foods like cookies, ice-cream and fatty foods.  

When we were gatherers and hunters, our existence was dependent upon eating foods high in calories.  If we didn't, we could die.  The problem now is that we're no longer struggling to find food and get enough calories.  However, that mechanism still exists within us.  

In order to beat will-power, you have to set-up your environment in a way that you don't have to worry about it.  

Warning!  You aren't going to want to do this!   These steps can be difficult -- especially cleaning out your kitchen -- but they are essential if you really want to start to make a change to your diet.  It makes eating well so much easier!     

Here's 3 Essential Steps for Sanitizing Your Environment

1.  Get troublesome foods out of your kitchen, and stocked with delicious, plant foods instead.

Get the foods you shouldn't be eating on a daily basis out of your daily living environments.  This means treats as well as the other foods I suggest you don't eat: refined foods (sugar, oil and white flour products) and dairy.  (Click here to watch the Take Control Tuesday episode 'Food Guidelines: What to Eat, What to Avoid').

At the same time, you need to make sure your kitchen (and office!) is stocked with delicious plant-based meals and foods.  An abundance of fresh fruit, veggies, pre-made salad dressing, hummus, boxed soups, frozen dinners, sweet potatoes and the list goes on!  

This way when you're hungry, the only option you have is to eat something delicious and nutritious!  If you get hungry and healthy options aren't available, you're going to eat something you shouldn't!

2.  Save treats for special occasions, outside the house.  

Eating a healthy plant-based diet doesn't mean you can't ever eat dessert or a treat again.  However, it's essential you decipher between a treat and daily fare.  Cookies, potato chips, cake, chocolate etc. are not foods to be eaten daily or even weekly.  

Treats are foods to be eaten only for special occasions... your birthday or traveling abroad for example, outside the house.  Otherwise, they're no longer treats because you're eating them regularly.

To piggy back on rule #1, if there's left-over treats from a birthday cake for example, don't bring them into your house!  Kindly decline or give it someone else.  If you bring it home, you will eat it!

3.  Buy foods you aren't tempted by, when serving/buying foods for others.

Although you may be striving towards eating a plant-based diet, your spouse, children, parents etc. may not be on the same page.  You'll probably have to prepare food for them that isn't ideal for you.

When this is the case, buy foods you won't be tempted by.  This way, even if something isn't good for you, you're less likely to eat it.  Don't buy them your favorite dessert for example.  You'll drool over it and are more likely to cave in and eat it.  Instead, whip up something that doesn't appeal to you at all.

Although these changes may be difficult for some, they really go a long way.  Forget will power and change your environment instead.  You can do it!  Please let me know how it goes!

Take Control Now

What's one food you can't (and shouldn't) keep in your kitchen because you'll always eat it?  Are you ready to kick that food out of your kitchen for good?  

Answer in the comments section below.