People turn to food for different reasons. Eating because of hunger or to get proper nutrition is not necessarily why many people eat as much as they do.

Reasons Why People Eat

Many people have addiction problems and they can't do without a lot of junk food. For some people, it may be chocolate, ice cream or oversized fast-food portions, but it usually leads to obesity.

Some people eat because of emotional reasons-they may be feeling stress, depression, or they may eat out of boredom or because they're angry.

Many people eat for social reasons-it may be a birthday party, Thanksgiving, Christmas or other holiday, and they may be eating because it's a celebration even though they're not hungry.

There are a lot of commercials, including those which use subliminal advertising, during television and movies. These cause you to think of sodas and sweets that you would not otherwise have thought of at that time. Wherever you go, you see signs advertising fast food, alcohol and other beverages. Many of us consume so many extra calories due to the advertising and pushing of large portions at restaurants that we have a problem with obesity in the United States.

Also, many poor people have to fill themselves up with carbohydrates that are lacking in bran and fiber and eat to much of it because it's all they can afford to fill their stomachs with. This also leads to obesity and possibly malnutrition, but many times food comforts poor people too.

Healthy Reasons To Eat

If you're truly hungry, you should take reasonable portions of healthy food, like 5-9 servings of produce, one or two servings of protein, two or three servings of milk products, one or more servings of whole grain carbohydrates, two or more servings of healthy fats; you should snack on healthy foods like nuts, fruits and vegetables if you want to be healthy and be a healthy weight.

Many times one is just thirsty and mistakes this for hunger; so they eat instead of drinking a glass or two of water. It's very important to stay hydrated by drinking at least six glasses of water per day.

It's also of the utmost importance to be aware why you are eating, and it should be in order to get proper nutrition and to satisfy hunger. Most thin people know enough not to eat past feeling satisfied rather than when they feel stuffed and uncomfortable. It's a good idea to wear clothes that are a very custom fit rather than elastic-waist slacks which encourage one to overeat because they stretch out so easily. It's also a good idea to wait approximately thirty minutes after you eat your meal which should include one serving of protein, one servings of whole grain carbohydrate and a couple of servings of produce, particularly vegetables with a serving of fruit for dessert. On occasion one can have a small serving of dessert other than fruit, like rice pudding.

Anyone can google the US government food pyramid and see what the current recommendations are for eating a healthy diet. There are many other websites which teach people about proper nutrition and how to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle, such as www.sparkpeople.com, which is free and on which you can track your food, activity and blog and join in on the message boards.

Learn more about this author, Annetherese McCorkell.
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