Americans eat millions of pounds of junk food every year. We crave it, we will do anything to get it. We even stay up late until after the kids are in bed so we can eat as much of it as we want without little eyes watching (or stealing our favorite snacks!). But we rarely stop ourselves long enough to ask WHY we want those snacks so badly. What is driving us?
It is so clever to pin everything on the consumer, isn’t it? Not only does it make us take the blame (without doing the research), but it also makes us feel down about ourselves. The food industry is a smart machine, adding tons of sugar (a KNOWN ADDICTIVE SUBSTANCE), food dyes and other addictive chemicals to our food supply. Our brains were never meant to handle it, and at some point, we can’t stop ourselves. Did they do this knowingly? Hell yes. They created these foods to be addictive and then created their messaging (and helped foster other cultural messages) to make sure they are off the hook.
I got on my soap box to rant about this because, with all of the people I know trying to lose weight or eat healthier, I think it is an important thing to note. Just because you can’t put down the junk food, that doesn’t make you weak. In fact, it makes you biologically sound. Also, now that we have opened our eyes to the undeniable fact that junk foods use chemicals to trick our brain into being happy, we can find some TRUE ways to leave them behind.
Why? It’s all science, baby. Through specific and complex reactions in our bodies, we make tons of feel good chemicals and neurotransmitters. When we can harness these, we can turn our lives around. Junk foods (and other addictive activities and substances) flood our systems with lots of these feel good chemicals. So, if you want to even have a small chance of successfully following a whole foods diet, you will need to find your own healthy players that can create the same reaction in your brain.
Find foods that make your mouth water. Cook homemade meals that are rich or nostalgic. Dabble in world cooking, incorporating delicious Indian curries, crispy French chicken or savory Italian stews. Give your taste buds a REAL treat with dark chocolate or fresh berries. It will make you want to scrap the junkie, unfulfilling foods in no time.
Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to find the healthiest forms of dopamine (one of the main feel good chemicals) that you can! I lead my clients through creating a “Dopamine Menu” to help them get started. This is just a list of things you KNOW will help you feel good and it can include your favorite healthy foods as well as activities.
When it comes to eating healthy, working WITH your body is a great way to make sure you succeed in reaching your goals. If this seems like climbing a Mt. Everest made of Oreos, I've got your back. I offer free consultations with future clients to figure out if health coaching can help them get on track with their goals and feel more empowered in their lifestyle decisions. Contact me, follow me on social or subscribe to my newsletter!