How to Break the Habit of Eating Junk Food

Junk foods provide little to no nutritional value to your regular diet while contributing excessive amounts of calories and fat. Although these foods are designed to be tasty and appealing to most people, junk foods can become addictive to others, resulting in an unhealthy lifestyle and diet. Such fast food restaurant offerings include sugary soft drinks, candies, high-fat pastries and fried foods. Kicking the junk food habit requires dedication and motivation. Successfully overcoming the habit can significantly improve your overall quality of life.

Instructions

• 1

  Keep your junk food items out of view and stored in a place that is not easily accessible while placing healthy snack items in highly visible spots. Some snacks to keep highly visible include fruits, vegetables, pretzels, nuts and granola bars.

• 2

  Set small goals for yourself to stop eating junk food and reward yourself when you reach each of these goals. For example, try not eating any junk food items over the weekend. Instead, substitute healthy alternatives. When you achieve this goal, treat yourself to a new piece of clothing or a game that you're interested in buying.

• 3

  Drink more water. Most people require at least 64 ounces of water daily to replenish water lost through urination, bowel movements and sweating. When you're thirsty, you may mistake this as being hungry and reach for a junk food snack. Instead, when you feel hungry, drink a glass of cold water before eating anything. Not only will you be able to fight off junk food cravings more effectively, but you also will feel better from being properly hydrated.

• 4

  Don't allow yourself to mindlessly sit down at the television and munch on your favorite junk food snack. Mindless snacking can be caused by a variety of things, such as stress or boredom, and can have serious health effects such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

  Before you sit down to watch TV or browse the Internet with a bowl of potato chips in your hands, identify what it is triggering your desire for junk food. Then you can confront the problem head-on. If you're stressed, get physical exercise or practice another relaxation technique that will keep you away from junk food. Discovery Fit & Health lists relaxation techniques that include riding your exercise bike, calling a friend--don't use the kitchen phone--or reaching for sugarless gum. Other suggestions include meditation, working on a crossword puzzle and "grab your mate, not your plate."

• 5

  Avoid packaged foods. Although prepackaged foods are convenient to eat after a long day at work, these types of comfort foods can hold unhealthy amounts of fat, sodium and sugar. Even if you cannot eliminate these out of your diet completely, try to cut back on the number of processed, packaged foods you consume during the week.

  The FDA suggests eating no more than 65g of fat and 2,300mg of sodium for the average 2,000 calorie-per-day diet. These numbers may fluctuate based on your height, weight and health status. Consult with a nutritionist to determine the appropriate levels of sodium and fat for your specific body type.