Hello Beautiful People!!
Are your unhealthy eating habits based on situations? this is a habit I am so trying to break...
Let's go...
There are a number of factors that find us craving nasty fat, high carb foods; hopefully, this list will guide you in making healthier choices around what you eat (lord knows I am trying!)
Stress (we shouldn't be surprised)
When we are stressed, our body releases an additional amount of a hormone called cortisol; when we are maneuvering in flight, fight or freeze mode, our bodies are working in overdrive. A number of our body systems such as our heart, lungs, and muscles are doing a lot for us; this means that they need more energy to keep up with the demands of stress. Our stressed-out cells call out to our brain "hey brain we think we starving, hook us up..food!!" Our brain then says "I got you" by way of sending more cortisol to our body, triggering the need for food; and being that our body's fuel source is glucose, cortisol causes us to crave with LOTS of sugar. We crave the carbs which get broken down into glucose in the body. This is the body's way of trying to be helpful, however, our waistline and gut pay for it.
We eat and multitask..not a smart combo
I am guilty of it as I am sure there are those out there who do the same thing-eat while working, driving, watching TV, on the phone, etc..it is almost as if food is the way to keep us occupied while we are occupied...how non-sensical is that???
Damn portion sizes...
I remember a number of years ago, friends of mine from Denmark came to visit. I took them to a restaurant in the city and the look on their faces when they realized the appetizer was not the main course was priceless; the concept of huge food portions is foreign to them (no pun intended). Everything here is HUGE be it a sandwich, muffin or a tub of popcorn at the movies; we seem to have this relationship with huge food portion; as if we are depriving ourselves if our food is not in a vast amount? In Europe, food portions are 25% less than the United States; we also tend to buy in bulk which encourages this food portion conditioning.
We dig a good deal
The food industry knows that we rock with good deals. All you can eat buffets and the "buy one pay half off or get the second dish free" persuades us to buy more which leads us to consume more.
Food is EVERYWHERE
Whether it be in your neighborhood, or on route to work, pay attention to the number of restaurants, fast food or even bodegas (deli stores) that you walk by. On my way to walk which is about 10 minutes, just passing by the fast-food restaurants subconsciously triggers me to think about food...unreal.
I would make an attempt to blame the food industry but that would be feeble at best. It is up to us to take personal responsibility for our relationship with food. Trust me, for someone who has struggled with it for such a long time, the struggle is real.
Chew on this: The WHO (World Health Organization) cites obesity as one of the most prevalent health concerns of the century, contributing to the ridiculously rising cost of health care in both The United States and the United Kingdom. We are in a pandemic, amidst an epidemic...swallow.
"Eat to live, not live to eat."
-Socrates
