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By Jennifer Vagios, RD, APOGEE’s Dietitian

Food is all around us—gigantic muffins at the coffee shop, neverending office snacks, tempting commercials during your favorite TV programs. It’s no wonder that we often eat when we’re not truly “hungry.” But research has shown that “intuitive eating”—tuning into your hunger cues rather than things like emotions, food availability, social environment and eating in front of the television—is better than dieting when it comes to losing and maintaining weight.

Do you eat when you’re truly hungry? Here are some some tips to help you start eating intuitively:

·    Keep a log of when, what and how you feel when you eat (don’t forget the piece of chocolate at 3 pm because you were “bored!”). Start rating your hunger level on a scale of 1 to 10. If you typically eat when the numbers are low then that is a sign that you may not be eating when you’re actually hungry.

·    If you often find yourself munching on something while watching television, take note of that action and behavior and replace it with something else; for example, only allow yourself to eat while at the table, and not “out of a bag!”

·    When co-workers bring donuts/sweets/fast food to the office and you’ve already eaten a meal within a few hours, it’s likely you’re not hungry. To avoid this situation you can either have a pre-planned healthy snack available such as yogurt with fruit, and/or find a way to avoid the food and situation all together.

·    Keeping “trigger” foods out of the house is one easy step to avoiding eating when you’re emotional, stressed and/or bored. Once you’ve taken notice of your own personal eating style you will be more able to handle these situations. If you typically eat when you’re emotional, find an alternative other than food such as yoga, going for a walk, reading a book, calling a friend!

·    Think long-term: Every healthful choice you make contributes to a healthy future. It’s like a bank account. Along the way, you’re bound to make some choices that aren’t so great, but don’t judge yourself harshly. Part of being healthy is keeping things, including food, in perspective.

By Jennifer Vagios, MS, RD, APOGEE Dietitian

With so many great restaurants with tempting dishes and big portions, there’s no question that dining out in Westchester County can take a toll on your waistline and undermine your plan for healthy eating. And, since the average American consumes 4.2 meals per week prepared outside the home, it’s a universal challenge. But, there is a survival guide-one that’s easy to follow and still affords a memorable dining experience-so you can tip the waiter without tipping the scales.

Here’s my menu of easy-to-follow tips for healthy eating at restaurants:

• Before ordering, think about how hungry you really are. Keep checking in with yourself throughout the meal and only eat until you feel satisfied.
• Never skip meals before dining out. If it’s been several hours since you’ve last eaten, make sure to have a light snack. There’s less of a chance you’ll overeat.
• Decide what you’ll eat before you get to the restaurant. Most menus are available online, including their daily specials. Browse through before you dine in order to make healthier choices.
• Try to order before your dining companions do so you won’t be influenced or feel pressured by what they choose.
• Split a dish with someone and ask for two plates to cut back on total calories and the fat. Most dinner entrees are plenty for two.
• Order two appetizers or an appetizer and a salad versus a full entrée and other courses.
• Let tonight’s dinner provide tomorrow’s lunch. Restaurant portions are typically much larger than then they should be. Consume only half your entrée and bag the rest. You’ll save time, money and unwanted calories.
• If you want dessert, have dessert—but consider splitting it or ordering a fruit sorbet, frozen yogurt or just a cappuccino.

Even high-end restaurants specializing in haute cuisine have accepted if not embraced the trend toward healthy eating. Regardless of how sophisticated their menus, most are delighted to honor any special requests (steamed instead of fried, sauce on the side, for example). They recognize what’s most important—that you thoroughly enjoy your meal.