Food For Thought: Is Eating Psychological?
Eating is a complex process that requires a number of different systems in your body. Muscles, enzymes, organs, hormones, and neurons are just a few parts that must work together to help you get the nourishment you need. Wait… neurons are involved? What and how much you eat are directly related to your brain- your thoughts, mood, and cravings decide what you end up having for dinner. This gives eating a psychological aspect, and explains why humans experience related issues such as eating disorders, weight fluctuations, and obesity. Changing the way you think may change the way you eat. Here’s some food for thought to help you on your way toward eating better:
Get in the right mindset: make it a goal to eat healthier for good reasons. For example, you could think about changing your eating habits as “punishing” your body for looking a certain way. However, you could also focus on the health benefits that a good diet can bring. The second mindset is more much more positive, and may make it easier to change.
Did you know that many chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease can be prevented by eating well and regular exercise? These three issues often stem from unhealthy diets high in fat, sugar, and energy. Paired with inactive lifestyles, this can lead to overweight and obesity, a main risk factor for the diseases listed above. Did you know that a healthy diet and physical activity can give you more energy and improve your mood by providing your body with key nutrients it needs to function at 100%? These are only a few reasons to start eating right.
Tons of nutrition information and food facts bombard us on the daily. Because eating is something everyone does, people tend to hand out nutrition advice based on their own experience and opinions. It’s confusing: your neighbour says they avoid gluten at all costs, while your high school friend on Facebook is looking better than ever on a high carb diet. If you’re feeling lost in the sea of a thousand diets or you’re wandering in circles through the forests of Dr. Oz/Axe’s videos, go back to the basics and evidence-based information.
Dietitians of Canada provides trustworthy, fact-based guidance when it comes to all things food. A basic tip: fill half your plate with vegetables and fruit, a quarter with protein, and the other quarter with grains. Don’t forget to include a serving of dairy! If you take nothing else from this article, remember this ratio recommended by dietitians and outlined through the MyPlate model from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Listen to your body: Are you actually hungry? Or are you stressed, thirsty, bored? Harvard Health Publications explains that stress eating is a real concept that occurs when the brain releases certain chemicals that trigger cravings for specific foods- usually higher in fat and sugar. Although these comfort foods appear to lower stress levels, they can lead to weight gain over time. Preventing stress eating means going back to the root of the problem instead of putting a temporary junk food Band-Aid to cover up the issue.
Harvard Health recommends exercise, meditation, and social support to improve mental health and avoid giving into junk food cravings. Thirst and boredom are often confused with hunger signals as well. Check yourself by asking key questions like, “I just ate a big lunch 20 minutes ago- am I still hungry, or actually thirsty?” or “I’m feeling bored/procrastinative- am I really hungry, or trying to find something to do?” Next time you’re feeling the urge to consume an entire cake, first figure out if you’re truly hungry.
Don’t be so hard on yourself: We all “mess up” from time to time and inhale whole boxes of cookies. Feeling shame or guilt may worsen your eating patterns and actually prevent you from trying again! How you eat, like any other habit, has developed and become an innate part of you slowly over time. Undoing all that will take time and effort. It’s okay to fall off the horse as long as you get back up.
Images courtesy of:
https://www.choosemyplate.gov/myplate-graphic-resources
https://storytimewithjohn.com/2015/08/11/whats-the-point-existential-crisis/
