There’s nothing like accidentally adding orange electrolytes to your coffee to wake up your taste buds. I love testing out new flavour combos but coffee and orange got a big fat NO from me. We have become slightly addicted to LMNT electrolytes in the office – it’s so nice to find such a clean product that’s so delicious! And we have got our gym members addicted too. But we’ve noticed that getting people to add something healthy to their life is easy. It’s the taking away of something unhealthy that causes problems.

People have all sorts of attachments to food. Often it’s a physical craving triggered by a dip in blood sugar, or a food addiction caused by overstimulation of tastebuds from a lifetime of exposure to junk (it’s hard for an apple to taste sweet if you are used to soda and cake).

However, sometimes the craving is emotional. Most of us grew up being comforted, rewarded or occupied by food and it’s tricky to exit that dependency as an adult. Think about it… how often did you celebrate a good test result with ice cream, or commiserate a break-up with chocolate. And how often do we keep toddlers occupied with a handful of Cheerios or Goldfish crackers?!

In our busy house, I usually only manage to get dinner made in good time if I pop Atticus into the clip-on seat at the breakfast bar and chat with him while I cook. But also there has to be snacks.

There is no way he is sitting still for 20 minutes and engaging in intellectual conversation with me. He’s too young to paint, colour or play with Play-Doh. Any toys I give him are usually launched like missiles across the kitchen.

But if I scatter Rice Krispies across his tray… well that gives me a solid stretch to cook while he painstakingly picks them up one by one. And while that happens, we babble to each other because that’s all he can manage at ten months and it’s all I can manage at the end of the day!

While I’m not giving myself a hard time over this habit, it did register with me that I am falling into the classic trap of occupying him with food. I guess the solution is to try not to do the same thing in other circumstances and just keep this to a “getting dinner in the oven” thing.

What do we do though, as adults, if we have a life-long habit of occupying ourselves (or relieving boredom) with food? Especially when that food is actually junk?

This is the number one thing that derails my clients. So many people eat healthy meals but then layer junk on top because it’s an easy, affordable and fast-hitting way to snap themselves out of boredom at home or work. If this resonates with you, here are my three top tips for getting out of the boredom snack trap!

Avoiding the boredom snack trap

1. Look for a workaround

You’re at your desk, you can’t take one more minute of the report you’re writing or the figures you’re reviewing. You need a break! What do you do? Most people get up and make a cup of coffee, wander over to the snack cupboard or pop out to a nearby café for a pick-me-up.

The only problem is if that pick me up is sugary and/or caffeinated, then an hour later it’ll be more of a throw-me-down. Relying on sugar and caffeine to get you through a busy day ultimately is counter-intuitive. Sugar and caffeine actually deplete the body of the B vitamins you need to buffer your body from stress and create energy.

So, instead of falling into an endless vicious cycle – try going for a walk around the block (in a different direction to the coffee shop!) or do all the stairs in the stairwell. Do a five-minute meditation on the Apple Balance app (or any meditation app), call a friend, send that WhatsApp reply you’ve been meaning to or pop to the shops to grab ingredients for a healthy dinner (and maybe a healthy snack while you are there). This is all about building a better go-to habit.

2. Hydrate yourself first

Many people confuse hunger signals and thirst signals. If you think you are hungry, have a big glass of water or electrolytes first. If you go for electrolytes then try Nuun, Ultima Replenisher or LMNT (all available at Waterfront Wellness) so that you avoid anything with artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners.

Wait ten minutes and then ask yourself if you are still actually hungry? If during that ten minutes you have also gone for a walk around the block, you’re likely already moving on to the next thing on your to-do list rather than reaching for a boredom snack!

3. Check in on your mood

Are you bored or are you feeling anxious or blue? Look closely at what you are doing and how you feel before and after. Are you using food to actively lift your mood? Is it giving you a quick dopamine hit and simply making you feel happier?

It’s natural to feel an uplift after eating something (our brains love glucose from carbs) but ideally that would come from a snack combining healthy carbs (eg fruit) with protein (eg nuts).

If you’re eating a constant stream of junk and using it to prop up your mental health, then consider supplementing with L-theanine (anxiety focused) or 5HTP (mood focused). These can help create a bit more buoyancy in a more natural way. However, they can’t be combined with pharmaceutical anti-depressants or anti-anxiety meds so please bear that in mind.

For this reason (and others) it’s always a good idea to discuss supplementation with your doctor, especially if you have a medical health concern or are taking medication.

• The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION, BNTA is a fully qualified nutritional therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in Britain. Join Catherine on Facebook: facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda or instagram @naturalbda