Give your midday meal the attention it deserves with a few simple tips:

1. Avoid eating at your desk. When you work and eat simultaneously, your body doesn’t register the fact that it’s eating. If you’re mindlessly consuming food, it becomes easier to overeat. Give yourself a chance to enjoy a change of scenery and concentrate on the meal before you.

2. Use a real plate with real silverware. You deserve a nicely presented meal. Tupperware is great for transportation, but when it comes time to eat, transfer the contents of your container onto a real plate. Doing so makes you more aware of what you are eating, and allows you to appreciate and focus on the flavor of the food.

3. If you’re eating out, think about what you want to eat before you get hungry. When our bodies are hungrier, we tend to make rash food choices. Strive to be one step ahead of the game.

4. Eat breakfast! Eating a substantial breakfast ensures you don’t end up ravenous at lunchtime.

5. Think of eating as an “experience.” Eating is more than just putting food into your body. It’s also about slowing down, enjoying the nuances of flavor and texture, gathering with others, and taking moments to contemplate and self-reflect over a satisfying meal.

By Erica Friedmann