How have we become such a food abundant society?
I was thinking back to my childhood, when food was certainly not as available, or at least as convenient, as it is today. My mother took the bus to get groceries at Loblaws and that would be it for the week. There were no corner convenience stores or gas stations loaded with candy, pop and chocolate bars. The good part about this is that we did not feel deprived. Also, we didn't expect snacks, because they just weren't in the house. When we infrequently watched TV we didn't sit around eating snacks. Usually, there were only one or two shows we might watch and then we preferred to get out and play.
My, how times have changed. Food is everywhere. Now, it's not good food; it carries no nutritional value, but we've come to expect it, anytime, anywhere. I watch people getting gas then walking out of the store with pop and chips and candy bars, and I wonder why? They certainly aren't hungry, and the food they've chosen is only going to worsen their health. Yet, I'll be darned if I know how to help people learn not to buy all this unnecessary stuff.
All I can think, is that the food companies are feeding our addictions. They are very well aware of the addictive properties of sugars, and are fully aware of the health consequences it brings; yet, it brings them a lot of money.
It is this mindless grabbing of unnecessary food that causes our weight gain. It's not just the corner store or gas station, it's also the take-out pizza and multitude of other foods easily ordered on our smart phone. It bothers me that food like this is now so easily available. If it was good quality, I would have no concerns, but none if it really has any health benefits whatsoever.
What then do we do? Planning is the most important....or maybe, it simply comes down to a firmness of mind of things we won't eat or buy when we walk into any store filled with sugary treats. If, and I emphasize IF, we have made the determination not to buy chips or cookies or any kind of treat, then stick to it. Once we walk out of the store and get in our car, that overwhelming desire to buy something will begin to dissipate quickly.
Most of all, spend time learning to differentiate real hunger from that mindless brain 'desire' for food. Ultimately, if we can actually eat (healthily) into real stomach hunger, the battle is being won. Having said this, I know this is not easy since the dopamine in the brain is a powerful trigger for a lot of people to eat.
My best suggestions again are 1. Write down everything you eat. 2. Plan your meals and snacks ahead. 3. Write down the things you wanted, but didn't eat. (This is a tool taught to me by a psychologist I know, and it's a handy tool). One can look and be proud that they didn't eat 2 chocolate bars or 3 Timbits at work. Or, wanted and didn't eat that bag of potato chips as they watched TV.
We are all battling this issue of food all around us. Don't give into the easy temptation. Avoid it and you will feel better for it. Realize that all these sugars are going to eventually result in weight gain, and probably the development of a lot of the chronic diseases we see today.
Be firm. Plan ahead. Write everything down and maybe include the things you didn't eat. This will develop a sense of control over food.
You can do it. Never give up trying!
Dr. Doug