Stress eating occurs when an environment becomes too hectic and the pressure is too much. This is most common in workplaces because of the daily hustle bustle that we all have to deal with everyday. The pressure and stress make it hard to follow a healthy eating plan. Luckily, here are some tips we could try to help us shed off those few pounds and make us feel healthier.

Avoid eating out. The reason why people go to fast food restaurants is because they taste good and are very convenient. The busy schedule eliminates the time for preparing healthy meals at home. When you need to eat out, don’t order beverages, rather just go for water. Water will keep you hydrated minus the calories.

Plan your meals. Although this might sound impossible, you should really allocate extra time in preparing your breakfast, lunch and dinner. Make an effort to bring packed lunches to work so you don’t have to go out, and eat breakfast at home. A simple cereal or oatmeal is better than dragging yourself to eat hash browns or pancakes in fast foods. Avoid buffets as buffets in restaurants will only cause you to over eat and you will end up eating more than you should. This is not healthy.

Be very careful when shopping for food in the grocery. If it helps, go to the supermarket on a full stomach. This is a healthy eating plan because when you’re full, you are less tempted to grab chocolates and junk food. Opt for healthier alternatives such as buying yogurt instead of vanilla ice cream, juice instead of soda, and non-fat milk instead of using the regular, full-cream milk. Make sure to read the labels to find out the nutritional content of the food.

When cooking, use less salt and oil. Both of these are bad for your health and contribute to weight gain and high cholesterol levels. Replace red meat with white meat. Chicken is healthier, especially without the skin and grilled instead of fried.

Take baby steps. If you are not used to eating fruits and vegetables, what you can do is to slowly include them into your diet and consume small quantities until you get used to the taste. Tofu is also a healthier alternative to meat and veggies. They taste good and can be used in most dishes. Instead of eating chips, you can also replace them with sweet potatoes or carrot and celery sticks. If you can’t eat them alone, use different dips but keep to a minimum because dressings and sauces also contain a lot of calories.

Be conscious with serving sizes. When eating out, opt for the small meals instead of making sides large. Eating in moderation is definitely healthier than starving yourself and ending up binge eating. Lastly, stick to a healthy eating plan once you’ve started.