Think ‘Instead’, Not ‘No’, To Stop Unhealthy Snacking

To develop better eating habits, especially at your workplace, don’t simply say “no” to the unhealthy snack. Think about what you should eat instead.

Photo by Incase

Researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands found that thinking about not doing something makes you more likely to do it. Extrapolating this to the office space, management book author Heidi Grant Halvorson suggests you can stop unhealthy snacking at work by planning things you can eat or drink instead of the forbidden fruit.

To defeat the treat, the key is to decide in advance what you will do instead of eating it — or more generally, what you will do when temptation beckons (e.g., “If I want another cookie, then I will have a glass of water instead.”) By using water-drinking as a replacement for cookie-eating, you can move past the urge more easily.

For some suggestions of healthier snack options, here’s a guide to what you should eat when you are feeling peckish.

A Three-Pronged Strategy for Avoiding Office Weight Gain [Harvard Business Review]