Nighttime snacking, emotional eating, junk-food binges — sound familiar? Break these common bad eating habits for a healthier lifestyle. But what does healthy eating actually mean and how do you start putting this into practice and break bad habits? For some, this may be a way to help them lose weight, for others the goal may be to lower their blood pressure, and for others, it may just be to have a healthier way of living.

What causes poor nutrition? It’s the bad eating habits that people develop over a period of time without even realising it. Things like leaving in the morning without breakfast or binge eating chips in front of the tv while watching your favourite shows. You won’t even realise and you’ll ruin your diet.  

Here are a few solutions for your bad eating habits and lifestyle: 

1. Mindless eating: 

Mindless eating can occur anytime when a person is not aware of how much he/she is consuming food. This can be due to stress, sadness, anxiety, or even skipping meals. This is when a person eats without being hungry or without the intention of eating. 

Cornell University food psychologist Brian Wansink, PhD, discovered that the larger the plate you eat from, the more you unknowingly consume. In a recent study, Wansink found that people going to the movies who were given a larger container containing stale popcorn consumed 45% more popcorn than those who were snacking on fresh popcorn 

Solution: switch your large plates and bowls with smaller ones and not to eat directly from a packaging or container.

Change your habit to mindful eating

2. Skipping breakfast: 

Breakfast is one of the most important meals. A lot of people feel it is ok to skip breakfast when they are running late for work or to lose weight but this actually works the other way round. Skipping meals usually slows down the metabolism. Breakfast is important to give you the energy to start your day and acts as the fuel for your body. people who typically eat breakfast also get more fibre, calcium, vitamins A and C, riboflavin, zinc and iron.  

Solution: if you can’t have a proper meal, try having ready healthy breakfast foods that you can have on the go. Like fruits, yoghurt, smoothies and oatmeal etc.  

Check out a few easy and quick healthy breakfast options

3. Late night snacking: 

It is never a good idea to have snacks late at night after your dinner. Late-night snacking is linked to a lot of health concerns such as acid reflux, and weight gain. all these calories consumed at bedtime are stored as unhealthy fats. A new study backs this up, that it doesn’t matter what you eat but also when you eat it. Researchers at Northwestern University found that mice were given high-fat foods during the day (when these nocturnal animals should have been sleeping) and gained significantly more weight than mice given the same diet at night. 

Solution:

• Try having a larger and more filling portion for dinner. 
• Distract yourself and wait for a while, eat only if you’re still hungry. 
• Switch to healthy snacks at night.  
• Brush your teeth after dinner so that you avoid eating anything unless necessary. 

4. Endless snacking: 

Everybody loves snacking and snacking around the clock is one of the biggest problems people face. People usually snack on high-calorie food that is full of empty carbs. This issue has not only been increasing for adults but kids as well. Kids usually snack more on junk food like chips, soda and candies which affect them later in life. 

Solution: keep only healthy snacks near you such as hummus and carrots and cucumber or a quick salad. Even popcorn or dry fruits are healthy for snacking. Don’t keep unhealthy food like chips, fries or other processed food in your pantry that makes it tough for you to resist it. 

 5. Emotional eating: 

Many of us eat not for hunger but for comfort, stress or to reward ourselves. People usually reach out to unhealthy foods for emotional eating. A bad day at work and you get home and reach out to the fridge for a pint of ice cream or pizza to feel better? ” Crandall says. A number of studies confirm that emotions, both positive and negative, can cause people to eat more than they should, an easy weight-loss stumbling block.

Solution: it may feel good for a moment but emotional eating never solves the emotional problem, in fact, it makes you feel guilty for overeating and having unhealthy food. 

Instead, find a new stress buster. Look for alternative options that can make you feel better like taking a walk, going for a drive, talking to a close friend or family other activities that help you relax. 

6. Eating too fast:

wolfing down food not only takes the joy of enjoying your meal but also has several health-related risks. Your brain doesn’t get the signal of being full for 15-20mins since the time you start eating so if you eat your food in less than 10 mins there are chances you consume more food than you need. Eating fast can lead to problems such as obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and gastritis. 

Solution: You should physically put the fork or spoon down in between having the meal that stops you from eating continuously and fast. Have a nice conversation with somebody while eating or drink water through your meal to slow down and feel full too. 

Chew your food slowly almost 32times.

7.  Eating Junk food 

Junk food is described as drinks and food that are low on nutrition like vitamins fibres and minerals. They have saturated fats and added artificial sugar and salt. Eating junk food regularly causes problems such as obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. 

Solution: The solution is not eliminating junk food completely, that will only increase your cravings. Eating in moderation once in a while as special treats and counting the calorie intake can help. check effects of junk food here

8. Not sleeping enough! 

Not getting enough sleep can lead to weight gain and ruin your diet. Yes! According to a few researchers in Tokyo, they found that men and women who sleep for five or fewer hours at night are more likely to gain weight compared to people who sleep for 7 or more hours. 

Solution: Set a routine timetable for yourself. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time for a week. Keep all devices away an hour before going to bed and for more motivation switch the lights off making it more comfortable. Good sleep will always help you feel fresh the next day and also help in the weight loss journey. 

9. Overeating in front of the tv:

You tend to overeat when you are watching some of your favourite series or when kids are playing video games. It’s not only the mindless eating in front of the screen but research tells that kids eat more in front of a screen or while playing videos games than compared to the rest of the day. This causes weight gain and obesity in kids and adults as well. 

The attention is on the screen rather than what you’re eating. 

Solution: Take a break from the screen while having your snack. Don’t eat while focusing on the screen to avoid overeating. 

• Try choosing a snack that is healthy and not very sugary or salty. 
• Set a limit on the number of snacks you have while binge-watching or playing video games
• Find something else to do while you are in front of a screen if you really want to keep yourself from munching on unhealthy food. 

Motivation:

The most important step is to always stay motivated towards your goal. It is very challenging to stick to a habit but remember even if you lose focus you can always get back to routine. 

When it comes to our health, the food we put in our bodies can have a significant effect, especially when it comes to our heart. Weight gain, physical inactivity, stress, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity can greatly increase the risks of heart disease and various cancers. All these habits will take time to change and you’ll need to be consistent with your good eating habits. Stop yourself as soon as you get into a bad routine.

As you evaluate your daily health habits, be kind to yourself. And remember that taking consistent small steps to adopt healthy habits is the best path to a peaceful and robust life of wellness. 

Drop a comment and tell us how you take small steps and improve your eating habits.

Reference:

https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-and-nutrition-pictures/bad-eating-habits-and-how-to-break-them.aspx
https://www.sharecare.com/health/psychology-and-weight-loss/what-is-mindless-eating

The post 9 bad eating habits and how to change them first appeared on wbsdigital.

Introduction

SAGG foundation ( sponsor a Gambian girl) is a non-profit organisation. The aim is to empower girls and women in the Gambia by providing them with the best quality education. Education is an important factor in building and maintaining a better future. Conscious of the fact that many girls lack support and access to basic education, SAGG foundation helps them gain good education by linking them with potential sponsors in the united kingdom and Germany.

SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIT 

SAGG FOUNDATION: 

The following is the social audit for the SAGG foundation 

• Followers: 3k 
• Frequent posting 
• Source of media: pictures and short videos 
• Website link 
• Updated but same cover and display picture 
• Very few comments 
• No rating (6 reviews) 
• Good sharing of articles and posts 
• Push and pull. Push:Same theme throughout and similar content on image and post. Pull: Good use of videos/photos/infographics

• Followers: 1160 
• Post related hashtags: #empowerwomen, #Womensday, #Violenceagintwomen

   No hashtag for Gambia girls or Saggfoundation

• Profile linked to website
• Social media voice: Empowering and happy. Femenist. 
• Following: NGO’s, Strong public figues, positive pages
• Quick response to comments 

• Youtube channel available 
• Subscribers:8
• Videos: only 5 videos uploaded. 
• Video content on girl education and aim of empowering girls in Gambia 
• Not all videos are shared on other social media channels. 
• The comment section is turned off
• Webisite linked to the video despription 
• No likes, 15-100 view on videos. 
• Not updated recently 

• Followers: 177
• Linked website
• No tags or mentions 
• Frequent posts with no retweets 
• Similar content and posts 

 Social media audit for competitors

CAMFED helps and supports girls and young women in impoveridistricts in sub-Saharan Africa fighting against challenges of gender and poverty that limit their education.

• Followers: 30k 
• Frequent posting 
• Source of media: pictures and short videos 
• Website link along with contact deails 
• Less response to coments 
• Content includes videos of girls and pictures showing progress 

• Followers: 15k
• Post related hashtags: #girleducation, #leadership#CAMFEDsisterhood included org. Hashtag
• Profile linked to website
• Social media voice: Empowering and happy, stories of success
• Following: 282, influencers and other organisations 
• Quick response to comments 

• Youtube channel available 
• Subscribers: ZERO 
• Videos: 125 videos 
• Video content on stories and educating the girls 
• Not all videos are shared on other social media channels. 
• No response to the comments 
• Website and other social media linked to the YouTube page. 
• Few likes but about 1,306,716 views in total. 
• Updated monthly and not very frequently. 

• Followers: 180.5k 
• Linked website on the page 
• Tagged accounts and 
• Frequent updates with few retweets
• Different content and posts 

Competitor audit: 

WomenOne envisions a world where every woman and girl has access to quality education. They partner with institutions and community-based organizations to provide women and girls facing extreme poverty, cultural barriers and emergencies access to life-changing education. They do this through research, advocacy and innovative programming.

• Likes: 15,330 
• Not frequent posting 
• Colab with brands like MaxMara
• Posts of girls sponsored and their stories 
• No ratings 

• Followers: 3008
• Post related hashtags: #womenempower, #educateher, #Womenone 
• Proflie linked to the website 
• Social media voice: inspiring stories about the sponsored girls
• Following: influencers and artists 

• Followers: 1698
• Website linked to the page 
• No retweets
• Similar posts on all social media
• Posts of the founder along with the sponsored girls

Target audience: 

Sagg foundations target audience is based on the user persona mentioned. The target audience’s are people who love charity work, donations

\ and belong to the age group between 25-50 as they are financially capable of donating. The countries to target are The UK and Germany or such developed countries. Motivation for the target is the willingness to make a difference and help others in need especially  girl child and who support education. Frustrations of the target audience could be social injustice or violence against women and children to motivate them to donate further. An emotional background is needed to move people towards helping and donating. 

What competitors are doing better/differently: 

• Engagement is stronger on all social media channels with more followers, likes and subscription 
• Posts of the sponsored girls along with their pictures and stories 
• Posting about progress and support 
• Positive quotes and messages 
• Frequent posting of posts and stories that keep the target audience indulged. 
• Theme to the social media page that is vibrant and engaging. 
• Good response to the comments and link to the website. 
• Hashtags on Instagram are related to the posts and the organisation eg. #CAMFEDsisterhood #Womenone 
• Different content for different social media 

Social media Trends for Non-profit organisations:  

There are around 3.78 billion social media users worldwide in2021 and these numbers are going to increase in the coming future. Social media is a great tool for non-profit organisations to reach their target audience and connect to their communities. A few of the trends that can be followed are as follows: 

1. Videos, stories and live streaming. 

Video content has become increasingly valuable over the years, and it’s expected to become even more important this year. In 2021, Cisco anticipates that video will receive 82 percent of all online traffic. In addition, 57 percent of people who watch a nonprofit video make a donation. 

3. Peer-to-peer fundraising on Facebook: 

Social media is one of the most important tools on the internet. Non-profit organisations  can use these social media platforms to connect to their users and engage them in their cause which leads to more donations. 

On Facebook, now you can add a donate button on your page to raise funds for a different cause. eg. The American cancer society had clear actions for donations on their Facebook page. 

Goals for SAGG foundation 

• Increase awareness
• Drive traffic to the website and increase donations 
• Increase followers on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook by 20%
• Use of hashtags and tracking.
• Increase brand mentions 
• Gain more subscribers on YouTube 
• Post more frequently on YouTube 

Recommendations:

Based on the above research and social audit there are a few suggestions and recommendations for the SAGG foundation. 

1. Create and post more about the girls that are being sponsored along with telling their stories and education process to approach the target audience emotionally. 
2. Post about the organisation’s progress and tasks.
3. Use more hashtags for Instagram and Twitter related to the organisation such as #Sponsoragambiagirl #SAGGfoundation #educategambiagirlchild
4. The Instagram and Facebook posts are of one theme (pink). Use of a more vibrant and happy colour scheme along with pictures and videos.   
5. Upload more videos on YouTube about the organisation and founders and enable the comment section. 
6. Create more social media trends like fundraising on Facebook, videos with a cause on TikTok and uploading more stories. 
7. Creating a different form of content for each social media Chanel and connecting it to the website.

The post Sponsor a Gambia Girl- Social audit first appeared on wbsdigital.