When you were a kid, a parent made pretty much all of your important decisions for you. No TV before homework was done, don’t run by the pool, no sweets before dinner, eat your vegetables, you get the idea.

When we become independent adults, we have to start making these decisions for ourselves. Unfortunately, we tend to be biased towards our wants more so than our body’s needs. 

We tend to allow ourselves foods and beverages that we know are not good for us, oftentimes because we like it and want it. The majority of unhealthy foods and beverages that we choose to consume are not out of necessity, rather self indulgence.

When you compare the cost of a bag of chips to a banana, the banana is cheaper and will keep you fuller for longer. Same thing goes for a bottle of water versus a bottle of soda. 

The food industry has us hooked

The food industry makes a lot of money and it all depends on us, the consumer, to keep buying and consuming their products. Some of the most profitable companies have spent a lot of money on research and development of how to get us hooked. 

If you look into the science of the food industry, the smallest detail such as the shape of a salt crystal makes a huge difference in taste, mouth feel, and likelihood of us buying that product over and over. 

Combine that with strategic marketing and they have us hooked, left craving their product when we’re hungry, bored, tired, etc. 

What if we said no?

When you were a kid, you probably heard “no” a lot. But when we don’t have anyone to answer to, we cave and consume what we crave and not what we need. Everyone knows the importance of fruits and vegetables in our diet and health. Yet we struggle to get them in on a daily basis.

On the other hand, a bag of chips or soda has no second thought, even though we know the damage it does to our body. But what if we took a second before consuming something to evaluate what we’re choosing? What if we told ourselves “no” to foods and beverages we know are of no value to our health.

There is a new push of developing a positive relationship with food. At its core, you are to allow yourself to eat whatever you may want or crave. It stems from people struggling with disordered eating and severe food restriction.

In this specific population it makes sense, however, by saying no to “junk food” and choosing healthy nourishing food will not develop a negative relationship with food. 

Willpower has a limit

Saying “no” to foods we know are not beneficial to our health is a good strategy to improve our health however, it requires willpower. Everyone at some point has experienced the drop in willpower at the end. 

The more times we have to say no or resist something the more we draw on our willpower. Unfortunately we only have a set amount of willpower each day and once it’s drained it gets really hard to say no. 

The key is to set up your environment for success. You have control of what you keep in your home and where you work. By setting up areas that you have control over, you save your willpower for those random moments throughout the day. 

Tips to setting up your home and/or work for success.

• Keep fresh fruit and veggies available and easily accessible

• Pre-cut and prep your favorite veggies and fruits for quick grab snacks

• Do not stock chips, snacks, soda’s or other “junk food” in your kitchen or office.

• If you choose to have this at home keep it in the basement or somewhere inconvenient (the garage) to minimize mindless consumption. 

• Have a few recipe books available for meal ideas

Your health is in your hands

At the end of the day, you decide what you consume and put into your body. We don’t have anyone to answer to anymore and that becomes our weakest point. 

We essentially have to convince ourselves that eating good nutritious food is important for our long-term health despite us already knowing this. This is the power the food industry has over our decision making when it comes to choosing what to consume. 

 In order to combat this it is imperative to ask yourself why you are choosing a certain food. If you find yourself choosing foods for pleasure, convenience, desire, craving over nourishment more than one time per day, it’s time to take action.

You have the ability and power to decide what you consume and it rests solely in your hands to take responsibility for these decisions. If you are serious about getting healthier now and as you age, choosing nourishing healthful foods is key. 

Just remember that it’s okay to enjoy an occasional snack or treat throughout the week. It’s when these become your staple foods that they start to impact your health and wellbeing.

If you want help getting started with making better food and beverage choices email me at dietitian2go@gmail.com or schedule your free 30 min consultation.

Written by: Adam Skowyra MPPD, RDN, LD