Most of us, if not all of us, have caught ourselves at least once thinking a little too much about a dessert that might be in the fridge or a delicious leftover food that is in the kitchen. Even though we may be full and covered in energy, our minds keep going back to that chocolate bar we opened the other day.
As we know, food, together with water, is the essential ingredient for human survival, good nutrition and growth, and is required in such quantities as to meet the energy needs of each individual. However, apart from this role, we will also find food playing a leading role in all our moments of joy, sometimes in our sorrow, in our socialization process and in our contact with other people.
There are two mechanisms by which our body sends messages to remind us of the food and motivate us to eat it.
First, the homeostatic mechanism, which is activated when there is an energy deficit through the hormone ghrelin. Ghrelin is produced by the stomach when it has been hours since the last meal, digestion is complete and the body is thus driven to search for food. When we have met our energy needs, leptin is secreted which plays the exact opposite role to ghrelin, i.e. it sends a message to the brain that there is satiety so we should stop eating.
But when we think about food, while we are theoretically full of energy and have recently consumed a satisfactory meal for our needs, then the homeostatic mechanism is not activated but the non-homeostatic mechanism which is related to the pleasure and enjoyment we derive from eating. In these cases, the food we are thinking of eating is high in sugar, salt and fat, as it is these foods that will induce euphoria in our brain.
The reasons that lead us to these thoughts about pleasure food, or comfort food, are varied. Some of them are:
- Stress and stress
- Constant involvement in withdrawal diets
- Our feelings
- The stimuli of the environment and the very large supply of fast and energy-rich food.
- The constant «bombardment» of advertisements with this kind of food.
In what ways can we stop thinking about food, or at least think about it as little as possible?;
- The most important thing to keep your mind from spinning around every delicacy you have at home is to make sure you have a an organized diet plan that will not leave you fasting for more than 4-5 hours, and it will also cover your energy needs. This means that it is advisable to have 4-5 meals a day, which are rich in nutrients, fibre and sufficient protein to ensure that you get the required satiety. It is safe to say that a full stomach with fruits, vegetables and other nutrient-dense foods will less often seek out various delicacies to fill in the gaps.
- As trite as it sounds, water is essential for our proper hydration and for a satisfying sense of satietythat will keep you away from the fridge for hours. A body that is deprived of water often misidentifies thirst as hunger. Therefore, be sure to drink the required amount of water throughout the day, rather than in short bursts.
- Avoid deprivation diets which follow a very strict protocol or exclude entire food groups e.g. monogastric diet, «detoxification», Dukan diet, intermittent fasting etc... Some of these diets can offer spectacular results but in people who have a history of many diets or suffer from eating disorders it is almost certain that they further disturb their already problematic relationship with food. This results in the person following such a diet constantly thinking about the «forbidden» foods and desperately wanting to eat them.
- Include, in moderation, in your diet and eliminate all those foods that you think a person should not have in his diet. The fact that they will be included in a program without being banned reduces the chances of consuming them in unreasonable quantities.
- Mobilise. As soon as you think of eating unnecessary food while your energy needs are met, get active and move away from the place where the «temptation» is. If you are at home leave the kitchen, go outside for a while, take care of other tasks besides eating. Fresh air, listening to music or walking will take your mind off food. If you are on the road avoid passing outside stores that you know have your favorite treat.
- Ask yourself if your thoughts about food are a response to a real feeling of hunger. Often the self-limitation that the person sets around food intake, boredom or the stress of everyday life create a psychological void, which tends to be filled by the consumption of excess «tasty» food. Therefore you need to ask yourself what it is that makes you think about food and try to make how conscious choices.
- Consume your food with awareness. This means that while you are eating your food it is useful to be both mentally and physically focused on it. The result seems to be that you have a more correct response to the stimuli in your environment and impulsive eating is reduced.
Some examples of conscious food intake are:
- Turn off the TV, mobile phones and any device that distracts you from eating.
- Do not eat standing up, in the car or on the move. Place your food on a plate, sit quietly at the table and take the time needed to take the time to enjoy the sacred moment of eating (always, of course, when the circumstances of everyday life allow).
- Eat slowly and chew your food well so that you can actually taste our food but also give your body time to send satiety messages to your brain.
- Listen to your stomach and your brain, don't skip the satiety signals and don't continue eating when you are already full. Give yourself time.
In conclusion, to sum up by saying that for a person to think less about food it would be good to try to reduce the restrictions and «shoulds» around food. If weight loss is required for various reasons, it should be done in such a way that it is substantially helped by a balanced diet that is as little deprivation as possible, and food should be eaten consciously.
However, if the constant thinking about food exists, the person should look within himself for the personal reasons that lead him to it and try to give himself other outlets to deal with the anxiety, stress and unpleasant emotions that often accompany it.
