Holistic Weight Loss Support Program - Eating Habits

Eating Habits ...
... or, why do you eat what you eat ?

Part 4 - Eating Habits

Article by Dieter L. Editor of useNature

Author of It happened in the seventies

Are we all sucked in, falling for the ploy that advertised food and drinks are desirable to have?

Why do we consume that much sugar, salt, processed food, sweets, cakes, pizzas and soft drinks?

I am sure most people know it’s not good for them. Are we really such slaves to the food industry that we gobble everything up they have on offer. Or is it the other way around, we expecting all these goodies and they are producing them? - Don’t they claim; it’s all consumer demand?

Actually no one is to blame, it is a bit of both.

We all would have noticed in recent years that more and more products on the supermarket shelfs are free of artificial colouring and flavours; even organic foods are now on offer, all because of consumer demand.

In the end; it is up to us, it is our own responsibility to choose proper nourishing food. We don’t have to buy something if we don’t want it; there is enough good food out there. And if we demand more good food and march with our feet, the food industry will respond, they don’t mind with what they earn their money, they may even feel better to produce more quality food.

Now, why do we eat what we eat?

No one is forcing us, but it’s probably to a certain degree how we grew up and how our taste buds developed and became conditioned.

How do you react, if you hear you have to go on a"Diet"?

Is something revolting inside you, just hearing the word diet? Interestingly enough, Diet has not much to do with Nutrition at all!

Diet has something to do with Awareness and Attitudes!
Let me explain my reasoning .....

Right from the word go, when you are born, you have been conditioned to eat what's "on the table", with other words, to eat what your family, your close surrounding social group, friends and relatives eat.

Not only that, you as a baby may have also learnt - (conditioned), that when you cry, your mum gives you food.

On other occasions, when you were a bit sick, you may have been "rewarded" with something nice to eat, to make you feel better. Later on in life, even more rewards came flowing in; a good report card may have resulted in a block of chocolate. It’s probably too long ago, but I remember, Dentists used to give out jellybeans to kids if they had been brave enough to sit on the dreaded dentist chair.
Jellybeans and Dentist; what a combination.
Most of us still have these types of habits today, who hasn’t rewarded them selves with food?

Anyhow, sooner or later you will grow up, accumulate knowledge, the brain starts working properly, with logic, reasoning and self-preservation, and we usually will adopt a responsible way to eat with awareness, knowledge and balance .... hopefully.

This is the point where you should realise; the way you eat, is your personal diet.

Therefore, Yes, we are actually all on a Diet already.

It could be a healthy diet, or a junk food diet, maybe a soft drink and chips diet, but whatever it may be, it is a diet.

The most important point to be aware of; "You are on a Diet already".
Whatever you eat now, for whatever reason, that's your Diet.

If you agree that you are on a diet, your own personal way of eating; you actually will find it now easier to change, or simply improve your personal diet.

With other words, you don’t go on a diet, your simply improve your diet.

Question yourself; “what is my diet, and why do I eat what I eat”?

Is it because of your nationality, your up-bringing, peer group pressure, TV commercials, what's cool, what's healthy, taste conditioning, rewarding yourself, overcoming stress, emotional feeding frenzy :-)

Have you actually sat down and worked out, why you eat what you eat.

We all know what is good and bad for us ... you can find that knowledge everywhere. It's not a secret that food loaded with artificial everything, too much sugar, salt and "numbers" is not really good for your health.

If you do eat a lot of processed food, why do you actually eat it?

Don't kid yourself, it's not the taste, you got conditioned to that taste, and it's not really that hard to change your taste conditioning either, it only takes about 10 days, often less.

Who is in control here, you or the food?

All this and much more, is the reason that diet has nothing to do with nutrition, it's all awareness and attitude.

If you have an attitude of self-preservation, you will recognize those facts, and start working on a more sustainable food intake regime.

To demonstrate the case of diet and attitude further, here is a shopping centre example.

I am standing with my trolley behind a guy who had his trolley full of bottles with a certain soft drink (I don't want to mention brand names) and heaps of bags of chips, and lots of other processed food items.

He looked at my trolley, which had a few items marked with "Organic", and said jokingly.... don't buy that cr.... it's a rip off.

He may be right, I can't see why organic products should be more expensive, but the funny part was that he must have thought he didn't get ripped off with his choice of food.

By the way, a more nutritional and less detrimental diet is not more expensive, it cost actually less.

To come back to the main point, "you are on a diet already".

Now, improve your diet one step at a time.

Here are some simple tips on how to start:

Just cut out all sugars.
Still drinking soft drinks? That should be easy to cut out, and it will benefit your blood sugar, your weight, your teeth and your wallet.
Drink water instead, or do it the good old-fashioned way, add some freshly squeezed lemon juice to your water and store it in fridge. You may add some peppermint leaves, and definitely don't add sugar, it just makes you more thirsty.
Next in line to be cut out, are processed and refined foods; start enjoying fresh food.

On the other hand if you think you can't live without a certain food or drink, please realise ...

"You are Addicted", that's what over-processed food can do to you.

Still on the major topic of addressing change, lets look at …. Food addiction

... Part 5 - Food Addiction

..or ... go back to the Weight Loss Menu

PS. Join the Facebook Weight Loss Support Group

Article by:

Dieter L. Editor of useNature Gold Coast - Brisbane

Disclaimer:
The information provided in this article is intended for general use and for personal interest only. It should not be used or understood as suggestion or medical advice.