How to Stop Eating Bad Foods: Kick Eating Junk Food Once and for All

There’s no denying that absolutely everyone these days knows that junk foods are very bad for your health. So, how to stop eating bad foods? Should you keep yourself starving? What can you enjoy instead of chips and French fries? What foods should you use to feel satiated?

Read on, and you will find the answers to all these and numerous other questions.

What Are Bad Foods and Why Do You Crave Them?

Bad (or junk) foods can be broadly defined as processed food products that:

• Contain very high quantities of added sugars
• Are both high in calories and low in vitamins and dietary minerals
• Feature trans fats and excessive amounts of salt.

It is an established fact that regular consumption of bad foods might contribute to the development of such chronic conditions as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Flavor enhancers are widely used to boost the taste of bad foods. If you regularly eat a lot of fast foods and convenient foods, you might find yourself unable to enjoy the taste of normal healthy meals.

So, how do you get off the hook of junk foods?

How Can I Stop Eating Junk Food Everyday: Nourish Your Body by Getting Enough Sleep

Not getting enough sleep is the most serious mistake you can make. It is really impossible to overstate the importance of enjoying eight hours of sleep every day.

Here are some of the consequences of going to bed too late in the evening:

• Your energy levels are too low, so you try to make up for it by eating more. What’s more, you have no willpower to stop eating junk food: you need good rest to be able to resist this temptation.
• Your mood is bad, and you use food to improve it. Junk food is called an instant gratifier for a good reason.
• If you don’t get enough sleep, your blood chemistry greatly amplifies your cravings.

So, if you can’t stop eating bad food, start going to bed a little bit earlier every night.

How to Make Myself Stop Eating Junk Food: Stress Management

Sometimes your cravings for junk food seem unbearable. That’s why stress management is so important: when you are under stress, you’re more likely to succumb to your desire. Some of these methods might be of help:

• Get yourself a small toy (like a yo-yo or the Rubik’s Cube) and play with it every time you want to distract yourself instead of using cookies for the same purpose.
• Take a short walk every time your desire for junk food is especially strong.
• Count things you can see in the room. Group them according to their shape or size. This might help you live through those unbearable moments of intense cravings.
• Smell pleasant scents like peppermint or roses.
• Keep a journal: write down in it what you have eaten as well as what you think and feel.
• Confide in your close friends or relatives.
• Not only does physical exercise keep you fit, it helps to reduce stress as well.

It is perfectly OK to feel stressed when you try to come off junk food. What you need is a way to deal with this stress. Use any stress-buster you like to keep out of the kitchen — and fast food restaurants.

How to Stop Yourself from Eating Bad Foods: Do Not Starve Yourself

Many people believe that the only viable alternative to eating bad foods is to stay hungry. This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make: what you really need is to substitute unhealthy foods with healthy ones.

Try this simple trick: cut fresh vegetables like bell peppers, carrots, and cucumbers into pieces and enjoy them every time you crave chips or French fries. Vegetables are low in calories and high in dietary fiber and water, not to mention vitamins.

Do Not Get Your Sugars from Processed Food: Use Fruit

Your health will markedly improve if you substitute candy bars with all kinds of fruits. Candy bars lead to spikes in blood sugar and can provoke weight gain in no time at all.

It won’t take long for you to realize that fruit tastes much sweeter and considerably more satisfying compared to unhealthy processed sugars. Fruit is a very good source of vitamins, water, and dietary fiber.

Switch to Healthy Fats

Contrary to a popular misconception, you cannot shed pounds by totally avoiding fats. Healthy eating means that you need to refrain from bad trans fats (which are plentiful in junk food) and limit your consumption of saturated fats.

Use extra virgin olive oil for your salads and avocado oil for frying. Eat nuts (like cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, and Brazil nuts) that are full of good fats and dietary fiber. Fatty fish like salmon (or a spoonful of fish oil in the morning) will be ideal for your nervous system, skin, and blood vessels.

How to Stop Eating Too Much Junk Food: Switch to Healthy Drinks

Millions of people make this mistake again and again: they try to quench their thirst using sodas. These beverages usually contain tons of sugar that only intensifies your thirst, so you end up buying another bottle. What’s more, sodas and highly processed food products often occupy the same sections of grocery stores. Even if you have initially planned to buy nothing but a bottle of soda, you often find yourself purchasing a bag of chips as well.

The truth is, if you want to stay hydrated, pure, clean water is your best possible choice. If you stick to it, you are less likely to buy bad foods.

Even if the taste of clean water is too bland for your liking, such easily-made drinks as green tea, chamomile tea, or lemon water will be much better choices compared to sodas that are full of artificial colors and flavors.

Last but not least, raw vegetables, berries, and fruit contain copious amounts of water: use them to prevent dehydration and forget about sodas.

How Can I Stop Eating Bad Food: Consume Enough Protein

Proteins are building blocks our bodies are made of: foods that are high in protein make you feel full for a longer time. If you add healthy sources of protein to your daily diet, you are less likely to crave bad foods. Such food choices as fish, beans, eggs, and poultry are the best possible sources of protein: make sure you eat them every day.

How to Stop Eating Junk Foods: Use the Power of Dietary Fiber

Dietary fiber is a general name for indigestible organic compounds that feed good bacteria in the gut and add bulk and weight to stool. Dietary fiber also helps you feel satiated for a longer time: not only do foods that are high in fiber contain fewer calories, they effectively reduce your appetite as well.

The best possible source of fiber is steel-cut (or coarse) oats. Foods like beans of all kinds, chickpeas, green peas, and lentils will also be an excellent choice. Prunes and raspberries will be a perfect substitute for candy bars: they are very high in fiber and contain great quantities of vitamins and dietary minerals. Last but not least, avocados are very rich in dietary fiber, minerals, and healthy fats: half of an avocado makes an ideal snack.

How to Stop Eating Junk Food for Good: Adding Healthy Foods of Different Colors

Many people crave bad foods for the simple reason that their diet is not varied enough, and they can easily get bored of it. Pick up a habit of regularly adding new foods to your daily menu. Orange bell peppers, green Romanesco broccoli, purple potatoes, red tomatoes — simply follow the rainbow. Alternatively, you can try a different type of fish or a new variety of fruit every week or so.

How to Stop Yourself from Eating Unhealthy Food: Interpret It in a Negative Light

It might be very difficult for you to forget about bad foods if you consider them as a source of pleasure. Change your attitude towards junk food to increase your motivation. Remind yourself that:

• Bad foods contain trans fats that clog your arteries and do harm to your heart
• More often than not, they are over-salted: this leads to increased blood pressure that is detrimental to your kidneys and brain
• Lots of sugar you get with bad foods, and sodas might lead to the development of pre-diabetes
• Junk food is extremely high in calories that can make you overweight and provoke obesity. Obese people usually have a shorter lifespan than those with normal weight.
• Bad foods are full of artificial colors, preservatives, and flavor enhancers: all these compounds have no benefits for your health and have to be filtered out of your body.

How often can you eat unhealthy food? The truth is, the very word ‘unhealthy’ means that this food is really a slow-acting poison. The best strategy you may use is to avoid it completely.

So, every time you crave highly processed food products, remind yourself that they are nothing but a heavy burden on your health and use wholesome substitutes instead.

How to Stop Eating Junk Food and Start Eating Healthy: Cook at Home

Even though cooking at home is no longer popular, being your own cook lets you enjoy numerous benefits:

• You have complete control over the quality of your ingredients.
• You can easily reduce your calorie consumption.
• You will be able to save significant amounts of money.
• You will discover an excellent way to reduce stress. Isn’t it great to be able to create something new or share your dining experience with a partner?

It won’t take you a lot of time or effort to learn how to use delicious recipes. Start with simple and quick ideas: you’ll be amazed at how easily you can turn a few nutritious ingredients into appetizing meals.

Plan Ahead and Avoid Junk Food Cravings

Many people buy bad foods on impulse, so planning your meals ahead of time is very important. Pack a healthy meal and some snacks and take them with you when you go to work. This way, you will be able to enjoy a healthy meal at lunchtime, and after your work hours are over, you will treat yourself to a delicious, wholesome snack.

What’s more, if there is some good food nearby, you will be less prone to react to the smell of junk food as well as the talks that discuss it.

When you go shopping, avoid the central parts of supermarkets and grocery shops that include the most highly processed food products. Do not buy a food item if there are more than three or four ingredients on the label. Do not buy foods that feature ingredients that cannot be pronounced.

Break Yourself of Bad Eating Habits

Bad eating habits might be another reason why you crave junk food. Give them up, and it will be much easier for you to switch to wholesome foods.

• Do not eat from large containers. When you eat from smaller dishes (like salad plates), it is considerably easier for you to avoid overeating. On the other hand, when you use large containers, it gets significantly more difficult for you to control the quantities of food you consume.
• Never skip your breakfast. If you forgo breakfast, you will experience a dramatic drop in your energy level later in the day. Chances are you will overeat — or give in to a craving for bad food.
• Do not eat too quickly. When you wolf down your food, you often skip the moment when you are really full. To prevent overeating, take smaller bites, meticulously chew your food, and put your fork down between bites.
• Never shop hungry. Research shows that people are more likely to buy candy and salty snacks if they are very hungry.
• Practice mindful eating: never eat while doing something else or if you’re upset or stressed. 

Conclusion

Hope, now you know how to stop eating bad foods. While you definitely need some motivation to achieve success, adopting good eating habits is not as difficult as it might seem. Wholesome food equals perfect health: isn’t it great to be vigorous and energetic?