Break the Script

You have eaten a bowl full of green salad in the morning, you must be thinking you have got your day under control. But what about the spoon of chocolate you have eaten right after you have finished your breakfast.

You may not even notice that you are eating that chocolate after every meal. That's because eating something sweet after your meals has become your eating script.

But don't worry, we have come up with “break the script challenges”, which will not only help you to break that stubborn script but will also help you in making new healthy eating habits.

So let's start:

Breaking the Script Challenge#1 :

Craving something sweet after your meal is normal as most of us want something sweet to complete our lunch, dinner, or breakfast. Here are a few simple tips that can help you break this script:

Make food satisfying

Sometimes we have another craving after our meal because we don't feel satisfied at the end of our meal. That's because we are not having a proper balanced meal our body wants. So, try to have a balanced flavorful meal. It is okay to add some olive oil to your salad or some ranch dressing to your veggies. It will make you feel satisfied at the end.

Rinse your mouth

It may sound like a myth, but rinsing your mouth after your meal can prevent you from eating more afterward. Yes, that's because when you have the taste of the food in your mouth it will make you want more of it even when you are satisfied. So rinsing your mouth will make you accept that your meal has ended.

Try some tea

Well, Most people don't like it, but having a cup of herbal tea can help you satisfy your sweet tooth without adding extra calories. There are various flavors like apple, peppermint, and cinnamon out there which can calm your dessert craving.

Have some fresh fruits

If all of those don't work well for you, and you are still feeling hungry, then we have another option for you-fresh sweet fruits. You can have a moderate amount of sweet fruits like mango, grapes, or melons

Breaking the Script Challenge#2:

Are you the one who can't decide what to eat with others? Or the ones who always wait for others to order first and follow them?

Well, if you remember saying such phrases like "What are you ordering? Soup or salad?" or, "I will order this soup if you do", then you are not making food choices on your own instead you are just following a script.

No matter if you have to have an outside dinner with your cousins or enjoy the takeout menus with friends, other people's behaviors have a great impact on what you do. Which leads you to norm matching.

It is exactly as it sounds-matching our behavior to the norms. And as humans, we all do that thing at some point in our lives.

This norm matching can happen in all kinds of situations, whether you are at a party, at a sports event, in a restaurant, on an airplane, and especially at the dinner table.

But what does this norm matching look like: well, when you norm match you probably:

Synchronize eating actions

The person next to you starts eating, and you start eating. The person puts down the fork and stops, you also stop. It is just like you are completely focusing on the other person's behavior rather than your food or surroundings.

Alter your food preferences

Your food preferences take some time to be changed, but norm matching can highly impact what you choose to eat during an individual meal. Studies have also shown that your eating behavior highly depends upon whom you are eating with. According to a study, norm matching triggers the same reaction in our brains as rewards do.

As you know the reward is a type of positive reinforcement, and when you feel rewarded for a certain behavior you are most likely to do that again, which means going toward the script. So, to break that script we have come up with two options here:

Order first

Stop asking everybody what they are going to eat. You have your own preferences and food choices. So when you are going to eat first, order first. That way you would be focused on your meals rather than following the behavior of the person sitting next to you.

Call the shots

If you are going to eat then you decide what is going to be for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Take a moment and discover your own personal food system. Make a list and plan for tomorrow. So, you already know what you need for the day instead of thinking and looking at others.

Follow these tips and the next time you are eating with your loved ones, you will feel a positive change in your behavior

Final Words

No doubt, your environment is full of delicious stuff, and sometimes it can be challenging to avoid your favorite fun food offered by your loved ones. But always remember that you are in control of your actions, not others.

Having that control does not mean that you can not enjoy a treat but it means to do this with awareness and acceptance.

So, the next time you see your favorite dessert at the table you know that you don't have to finish that complete plate. you know how much you have to eat and when to stop to avoid that eating script.