10 ways to combat boredom eating

Boredom eating is a common behaviour in mindless eating and, for many people, is a frustrating habit to try and break. Here are 10 tips to help you manage it.

This is a key step. There is interesting research around the importance of your food environment and how easy it is to access certain foods. People often eat things “because it’s there”. If it’s not there, you can’t eat it.

Peppermint is actually an appetite suppressant, and if you brush your teeth immediately after eating, it will help take away the desire to nibble on food in the hours after. Chewing gum has the same effect. Brushing teeth is also great for healthy teeth and gums.

It’s the weekend. It’s raining. You’ve got nothing to do. Instead of wandering into the kitchen all day, why not get out a project that you love and focus on that all day? Keeping yourself busy and having some purpose is a great way to distract yourself from the munchies.

Sometimes boredom eating stems from poor awareness of your eating habits. Keeping a food dairy for a week will make you much more aware of what, when and why you’re eating. The first step to combating problem behaviour is an awareness of what the problem is in the first place.

Meal planning is an essential part of good food awareness. If you ensure that all your meals and snacks are accounted for and planned into your day, this will help you stay in control of your food choices and your appetite. If you start to feel hungry or bored, it may be time for your next scheduled meal or snack, which means you can go ahead and eat. If it is not time for your next scheduled meal or snack, then you’ll know to wait and find something else to do.

Find a ‘hands-on’ activity or hobby that you enjoy. When you keep your hands busy, you can only do one activity at a time – your hands will be too busy to be reaching for food. Activities such as surfing the web, watching TV or reading don’t keep your hands busy, and you may be more tempted to eat at the same time. Instead, do a cross-stitch, play an instrument, tinker in the garage, garden, paint, clean…

If you are feeling bored and tempted to wander into the kitchen, one of the best things to do is leave the house and give yourself some physical activity. It will be good for your health in so many ways and help you kill some time.

If you really need to have some hand-to-mouth action, then carry a water bottle with you and sip on it regularly. It can really help satisfy the need to snack on food. It will also ensure you stay well hydrated, which can help keep you better in control of your appetite. Dehydration will make you hungrier and thirsty and more likely to eat or drink something high in energy even if you don’t need it.

Boredom eating can be a way of providing ourselves with personal fulfilment and satisfaction. Most of us like having satisfying things to do, and one thing that provides that satisfaction is food. If you can set yourself achievable tasks every day, you can satisfy your desire for fulfilment without the need for random snacking. At the start of your day, write out a “to do” list that can be completed within that day, and then go through that list and complete as many tasks as you can.