Put Away the TV Tray

Strategies to avoid mindless eating in front of the TV

By Brittany Tellier, UVA Dietetic Intern

It happens every night. You get home from work, make dinner, check off some items on your ‘to-do’ list, then turn on the TV and grab a snack to unwind from the day.  After your favorite show comes to an end, you look down and realize the whole bag of chips is gone. This behavior is known as mindless eating and can lead to excess pounds increasing your risk for cardiovascular complications.  

Why do we do it?

People usually overeat when they are preoccupied, bored, sad, stressed or celebrating. Using food as a comfort becomes habit and soon we don’t even realize that we are doing it. 

How can we eat mindfully?

The best way is to recognize hunger and satiety cues. Before grabbing a snack, ask yourself if you are really hungry or if you are just eating out of habit. If you are hungry, then get a snack, but listen to your body to know when you are satisfied and stop eating. 

Prevent overeating in front of the TV with these strategies:

• Eat a dinner high in fiber, protein and healthy fats to keep you satisfied during the evening.
• Portion out snacks into a bowl rather than eating from the bag.
• Think low calorie and high volume when choosing snacks to make you feel more satisfied.  Try fruit, vegetables, sugar-free jello, rice cakes, low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese and light popcorn.
• Chew slowly and enjoy your food.
• Drink a glass of water before getting a snack to help fill you up.
• Don’t buy snacks that you know you will overeat.
• Brush your teeth before your favorite show to prevent snacking.
• Keep busy during commercials so you aren’t influenced by food advertisements. 

Avoid snacking and burn some extra calories with these nighttime activities:

• Go for a walk with the family/dog
• Spend time in the garden
• Join a sports team
• Dance
• Jump rope
• Play outside with the kids
• Go for a night time swim 

Why not make this a SMART goal for the week; buy 1 low-calorie snack that you haven’t tried before and have it for your next snack.