Scenerio: It's 6pm and you're just getting off work. You stayed up way too late the night before, and slept in this morning, which caused you to skip breakfast. Lunch time rolls around, but you work through your lunch break because you were behind on your work related tasks. On your way home from work, do you:
A: Pull into the nearest drive thru and order the normal double cheeseburger, fries and a soft drink
B: Drive home and make a healthy meal consisting of a garden salad, 3 oz. of grilled chicken, steamed veggies and a fruit smoothie
C: Drive home and pull out a frozen TV dinner
The correct answer would be B, however, reality is either A or C. Why? Why do we make poor food choices when we know the correct answer? Because we're human.
There are many reasons why we choose poor choices. These can be social, psychological, philosophical, or physical choices that drive our food decisions. We choose the foods we choose based on convenience, time, and money available. It’s easier to go to a drive-thru and pay $5 for a whole meal, than it is to go grocery shopping, chop, dice, season and cook a meal. The drive-thru is faster, cheaper and fills a need instantly. However, in the long run, it is only doing more harm than good.
Food is associated to just about everything. Holidays, celebrations, sporting events, even entertainment centers around food. (Going to the movies for the popcorn). Not going to lie, I eat out of boredom and stress. Those are my two big triggers, which I hate. People also might eat out of anger or sadness. Sometimes when I’m reading a book, I need to have something crunching in my mouth. I’m not hungry, but the act of chewing something is always there.
There are a lot of reasons why we eat, but it’s important to find out what those reasons are and if they are valid. If not, maybe try looking into changing up that eating habit.
Social factors that lead to food choices:
**I love football. I love to have big football parties with lots of people and LOTS of food. It is fun for me to decorate food to match the teams playing. Do I always eat the right kinds of foods during these parties, no. I need to work on this.
**I love celebrating birthdays. Taking my friends out on their birthday is a fun way to celebrate. Cake, lunches, big dinners, it’s all part of the birthday package. However, I will admit that I plan in advance where we’ll be going and what healthier options I can have instead. (But when it comes to the ice cream, there’s no holding back.)
**Holidays. Everyone comes over to my house and brings plates of food. Cookies, pies, vegetable platters, and fruit. There’s a big turkey and casseroles and all the fixin’s. It’s a holiday, a celebration, and food is the main event. Again, despite all the sugary and fatty foods, there’s always vegetables and fruit arranged in exciting ways. You have to help yourself succeed. Being around people and going to events where food is involved is a part of my life. I can’t change that, but I can change what food choices I make during those events.
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