Are you stuck on the treadmill of terrible eating habits with no hope of ever getting off? Don't fret. There are some very sneaky (yet fixable) reasons behind why you choose to eat what you eat (and when you eat it). We can’t blame it on the ubiquitous convenience stores or fast food drive-through restaurants that line every major street from Santa Monica to downtown Los Angeles. Nor can we blame the poor vending machine at the office.
Let’s take a moment to uncover the real reasons behind your daily unhealthy eating patterns. Once you become aware of your naughty food tendencies—you're in a better position able to deal with them.
Here are seven reasons people make unhealthy snack and meal choices.
1. Convenience – Time (or lack there of) is one of the primary contributors to bad meal and snack choices. The fix here is to plan ahead. Keep nuts and dried fruit in your car and in your desk. Buy whole-grain protein bars and keep them handy too. Or purchase fresh frozen meals for your work day or when you have a long day of errands. To prepare, just hop into an establishment with a microwave like a Circle K or other store– and heat your healthy meal.
2. Knowledge – People already know that they need to eat better, but many don’t know exactly what they should be eating. Food labels can be misleading. Just because something says it’s fat-free doesn’t mean that it’s healthy. Most food manufacturers add extra sugar or salt to compensate for the lower amounts of fat. Be mindful of food labels. Look at the nutrition label and peep out the amount of fat, sugar and carbs per serving.
3. Habits- Most people adopt the eating and shopping habits of their parents or caretakers. Here’s a 30-Day Healthy Eating Challenge Grocery List to help you change your grocery shopping habits. Old habits don’t have to die hard, when you’re equipped with the right resources.
Another element of the ‘habit factor’ is automatic eating-- which is simply eating a particular type of food in association with a certain activity. For example, you always order a large drink and large popcorn every time you catch a movie, you always have a Hershey bar with almonds at 3 pm, you always have 3 beers when you get home from work or you always eat every fattening side dish at grandma’s Thanksgiving dinner. You get the idea.
The best way to change these automatic (and habitual) eating patterns is to become aware of them. Then decide to tweak your approach to the situation. Instead of having a Hershey bar at three o’clock, go outside and take a walk or have an orange.
4. Cost – Many people believe that eating healthy requires spending lots of money on specialty health foods. That is not the case. If you stick with whole foods (grains, veggies and proteins)—you can actually save money on your grocery bill! (see shopping list from #3)
5. Taste – Krispy Kreme donuts, macaroni and cheese and pizza are tremendously tasty, but the flavor isn’t worth the extra poundage in the midsection. There are many ways you can add flavor to foods without adding lots of calories, fat, sodium or sugar. There are also food swaps you can make that are better for you without sacrificing flavor (i.e. use rice, almond or soy milk instead of cow’s milk)
6. Stress- When you’re lonely, bored or stressed, it can be comforting to grab the nearest salty, sweet or fattening food or snack—which only increases the size of existing muffin tops or love handles. When you find yourself feeling an emotion that’s pushing you toward the kitchen, stop yourself in that moment. Ask yourself, “Do I want to eat because I’m hungry?” If the answer is no, distract yourself by doing something else that’s enjoyable. Crank up some music and start dancing, take a nice bath with essential oils for aromatherapy or get over to the beach for a nice long walk! Or have a stick of your favorite gum.
7. Will – Most everyone is interested in losing weight, but not everyone is actually willing to make different choices. So, a lack of will power is arguably the number one reason why people continue to make bad food choices. Will power implies discipline. And discipline is nothing more than deliberate, consistent action taken from a place of self love and self respect.
As you begin to become mindful of your eating patterns, you’ll get new insight behind why you make the choices you make. This new awareness will make it easier for you to develop better habits.
“Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around." -Cameron Crowe, from film Vanilla Sky
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