Changing The Way You Eat Starts With Psychology

Changing the way you eat can be difficult. So, why do people want to do it? There are many reasons. Excess weight, a health issue, or feeling out-of-sorts constantly are three. Eating habits are deeply engrained and difficult to change. There is a psychology behind why you choose the food you eat and the reasons you overeat. The first step is understanding those things. Only then can you address the problem.

Are our brains hardwired to overeat?

The question of nature or nurture is a much-rehashed debate amongst human behaviorists. One theory on overeating is that it’s in our genes. Part of being human is to avoid pain and seek pleasure. In this case, pleasure means fatty and sugary foods. Our brains have opioid receptors that trigger a dopamine rush providing pleasurable feelings when you consume opioids, alcohol, or sugar. Every time you eat food with added sugar, you feel better but need more each time to maintain the same level of dopamine release. It doesn’t take long before you’re overeating, searching for the magical sugar high.

Is emotional eating part of your problem?

Emotional eating is so common there are scenes on sitcoms written around it. One of the characters suffers an emotional roadblock and turns to the solace of a pint of ice cream, or a friend makes them their favorite food to cheer them up. Emotional eating is the reason we label some foods comfort food. You can identify whether you eat emotionally by keeping a food diary with notes about your emotions before eating. Foods with a soft texture are often comfort foods, while crunchy ones link to anger.

Your mindset might need to change.

Do you feel deprived if you can’t have a double cheesecake daily or need to switch out cola for water, coffee, or tea? Instead of focusing on everything you’re missing, you can make eating healthy an adventure. Do you hate plain water? Make infused water with fresh fruit, vegetables, or herbs. Changing your attitude is hard, but you can do it by focusing on how your body feels and the taste of healthy food. You’ll be surprised at how sweet fruit tastes once you give up food with added sugar and how much better you feel eating healthily.

• Challenge yourself by cooking a new healthy recipe once a week. Don’t forget healthy snacks. If you like the taste, keep it. Before you know it, you’ll have recipes for weeks of food you enjoy.
• Is stress causing you to overeat? Overeating is associated with depression, boredom, anger, and anxiety, but stress is the biggest factor. Eliminate stress without food by exercising, meditating, or other forms of stress relief.
• Focus on improving your self-image. People with poor self-image tend to have negative eating behavior. Improve your self-image. One study shows that exercise can do that, even before you see any physical change.
• Make peace with food. There are no bad foods or good foods, just some healthier than others. Changing how you look at food can help you eat healthier. Don’t beat yourself up over what you eat. Eat intuitively and satisfy your cravings with a small amount.

For more information, contact us today at Thrive Fitness!