Is what you eat all that matters?

Is what you eat all that matters?

You’ll often be told what you eat is important. But what isn’t spoken about is the importance of how and why you’re eating.

How you eat

Mindless eating vs mindful eating

We’ve all experienced this kind of eating before. You’re sitting in front of the TV with a packet of chips or a tub of ice cream. The next time you look down, it’s all gone – and you have next to no memory of eating it. Or you’re quickly gobbling down lunch in between work meetings and you don’t remember eating your food let alone enjoy it or feel satisfied.

But the good news is that flipping over to a mindful approach to eating can have a variety of benefits. Research shows that mindful eating is associated with reduced stress levels and improvements in mental wellbeing. If weight loss or healthy eating is your goal, studies suggest that mindful eating can lead to improved dietary choices and modest weight loss.

Why you eat

Boredom Eating

This one is often attributed to kids, but as adults we’re just as likely to eat out of boredom. Although boredom eating can tie in with other eating patterns like emotional eating, it also can exist on its own. When you feel restless or dissatisfied, like when you are at work waiting for a meeting or studying, your brain seeks out sensation and excitement. For many of us, food serves this purposes, particularly less healthy choices.

The good news is that eating junk food when you’re bored doesn’t have to be inevitable. Research shows that choosing more exciting healthy options like fresh fruit can be just as satisfying for the bored brain. My favourite is protein balls. They are super yummy plus they include protein and fats so they keep you fuller for longer. Keep an eye out for my Inspired Health by Dee protein ball recipe.

Emotional eating

When we experience negative emotions, we’ll look for anything that can soothe us. For many, this means turning to food. This is often foods that we were given as children when sick or upset, but it may be just our favourite foods. Unfortunately, very few will turn to a salad or a piece of fruit when emotional. It’s more likely to be foods high in fat and carbs. This reason for this is that carb and fat combo’s taste good…..Tim Tams, Hot chips, buttery pastries and donuts and chocolate. It ends up being a bit of a vicious cycle. We eat foods that contain carbs and fats and our bodies release dopamine. The brain includes several distinct dopamine pathways, one of which plays a major role in the motivational component of reward-motivated behaviour. The problem is that releases dopamine encourages cravings. Eat fat and carb foods, body releases dopamine, we get a hit of feel good and then we want more. Eating foods that are more bland or simple means that the cravings can be dulled down. It doesn’t need to be boring, just not too much fat and carbs at the same time.

Other reasons

There are other factors that influence how you eat that can be beneficial or harmful. Depending on the circumstances. People who are involved in sports or bodybuilding might take the approach of ‘food as fuel’. While it is fuel for your body, this approach ignores the other influences the food has. Food is not primarily fuel, it’s also social, cultural and often emotional.

Eating for wellness and health benefits is often a good approach, except when taken to extremes. Sometimes, an obsession with the health benefits of food can lead to disordered eating and conditions such as orthorexia in vulnerable people.

This is why it’s important to find your balance with food. Many people find that an 80/20 approach is best. 80% of what you eat can be healthy and beneficial for your overall well-being. 20% can be more indulgence. The problem lies when the percentages are flipped the other way. Things like……I’m going out for breakfast so I got the pancakes, we had a work lunch and I was too tired to cook…can all lead to 80% being indulgence and only 20% being foods that are beneficial for your well-being.

When you work with a practitioner, addressing what you eat is only the first step. We look at what your goals are and more importantly factor in your lifestyle. If you have the goal of losing weight but you lead a busy lifestyle I work with you to design a program that works for you. I provide meal plans and supplement recommendations and the best part….the little tips, tricks and hacks that make it work for you.

If you need more tips on healthy eating, I covered it in my previous blog post.

If you are ready for a personalized plan for your nutrition, then I’m happy to help in my Health Clinic at Marrickville. Consultations can be booked directly with me 0401 366 796 or on the online calendar at www.calendly.com/inspiredhealthbydee

Dee x