Eat What You Like, Like What You Eat

If someone were to ask you, “why do you eat?” you may respond, “to survive,” “to give my body energy,” or “because I’m hungry.” These are the more obvious answers. However, if I’ve learned anything during my time as a registered dietitian, it’s that the ‘why’ behind eating behavior is deeper and more complex than one might think. 

 

Biology of Hunger

The primary reason we eat is because our bodies need the energy received from food to run properly. There are mechanisms within our physiology that work like a symphony of complex interactions between the brain, hormones, and digestive system, all working together to ensure our bodies get the nutrients they need. It’s honestly amazing to think about how our bodies hold such a sophisticated system to regulate food and nutrient intake and maintain energy balance. It might be a good idea at some point today, while you’re munching on a snack or feeling full and satisfied after a meal, to take a second to thank your body – specifically our helpful hormones ghrelin and leptin – for putting in the work so nourishing your body doesn’t have to be so complicated. 

 

When Eating Gets Complicated

That last sentence may have caused you to pause, if you are like the majority of Americans who feel that eating is, in fact, complicated. According to the International Food Information Council’s 2023 Food and Health Survey, 52% of Americans believe they should eat healthier, and 42% are actively trying to lose weight (1). Additionally, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, many Americans do not meet the recommended dietary guidelines, which increases their risk for chronic disease (2). 

 

If these complex mechanisms exist within our body to ensure we get the nutrition we need in the proper amounts, why don’t the statistics show that we are succeeding in that goal? 

 

Why We Eat

The same 2023 Food and Health Survey cited previously highlights the reasons Americans eat beyond just hunger. The survey reveals that taste is the top factor driving food and beverage purchases for 87% of Americans (1). Other significant motivators include price, healthfulness, convenience, and sustainability. Stress and emotional well-being also play crucial roles; 51% of Americans reported consuming less healthy foods due to stress in the past six months (1). Additionally, a survey by the Cleveland Clinic found that economic barriers and confusion about healthy diets significantly impact Americans’ food choices (3). 

 

These surveys, along with other research, show that while our hormones play a vital role in regulating our hunger and fullness, they are not the only drivers to choices such as what, when, and how much to eat. In other words, nourishing our bodies is complicated. 

 

How to Simplify Eating

If you have read many online health articles, at this point you are probably expecting me to prescribe the perfect diet that will eliminate all overeating and lead to 10% weight loss in 4 weeks. However, you’ve found a different side of the internet where bogus diet claims are refuted and balance, individuality, and sustainable eating recommendations are found. Welcome, I’m glad you’re here. 

 

While there is not one magic food that removes all desire to eat beyond fullness, I am going to reveal one tip to address the common age-old google search of, “How to not overeat.” 

 

How to Stop Overeating

Quick caveat because I’m already feeling uncomfortable addressing this problem as if there is one quick fix: there is not one quick fix. This tip I’m sharing is something that has helped many individuals curb their desire to overeat, but as there are about one million factors contributing to one’s desire to overeat, this tip does not remove the desire completely. 

 

If you are looking for more individualized guidance on how to honor your hunger and fullness and reach your health goals, 1:1 nutrition counseling is for you. Now, for the tip: Eat what you like, like what you eat. 

 

Eat What You Like, Like What You Eat

This recommendation comes from a favorite life mantra of mine, “Do what you like, like what you do.” One of the main reasons we overeat is because of one of my least favorite words that is a favorite in many dieters’ vocabularies: restriction. Our bodies are so wise, but we tend to betray the signals they try to tell us so often. This is the main goal of every fad diet that has ever existed: betray the body’s natural cues. The diet industry has invested billions of dollars into convincing us to trust the individuals promising too-good-to-be-true results, and to distrust our own bodies. This trap has led many dieters down a vicious cycle of restricting, binging, restricting, and binging again. 

 

What if we were to honor the signals our bodies are trying to tell us? What if – and just go with me on this one – when we feel the urge to have a cookie after dinner, we give ourselves permission to eat that cookie, enjoy the satisfaction that follows, and move on with our lives?

 

The alternative is a cycle that many of us know too well: we deny ourselves the one cookie, and instead sit in shame and guilt for even having the desire for the perfect combination of sugar and fat. This denial is too often followed by one of two options: 1. We eat every other food we can get our hands on that we deem “good” compared to the “bad” cookie, leaving ourselves uncomfortably full and unsatisfied; or 2. We obsess over that cookie labeled “off limits,” feel increased shame and guilt as the cookie haunts us throughout the evening, until it’s all too much to handle and we inevitably give in and eat the whole batch of cookies – left uncomfortably full and feeling even more, you guessed it, shame and guilt. 

 

Let me ask you, which scenario is the “healthiest” option: Binging on foods that do not satisfy you, eating 12 cookies and ruining your evening, or giving yourself permission to enjoy the warmth, sweetness, and comfort of one cookie, and moving on with your life?

 

Listening to your body’s internal wisdom can often reduce the discomfort and bad feelings associated with overeating – even if your body is telling you it wants a cookie because you had a bad day at work and it will make you happy. Eat the cookie – and enjoy it. Eat what you like, like what you eat. 

 

 

This strategy is often so much more nourishing than forcing yourself to eat every vegetable you hate until you can’t take it anymore and eat a whole batch of brownies. It is more nourishing than missing out on your friend’s birthday party because you don’t want to be tempted by the cake. It is more nourishing than letting the obsession of eating “perfectly” consume your life and inhibit your ability to enjoy people, places, and experiences. Let me say it again for the people in the back: Eat What You Like, Like What You Eat. 

 

Food Is More Than Energy 

I am passionate about food being more than just energy for our bodies. Food is connection, food is culture, food is emotional, food is nourishment – often for body, mind, and spirit. If we can give ourselves permission to eat what we like and to truly enjoy the experience, I believe we can better enjoy the best parts of life. 

 

Interested in learning more about how to build trust in your body and heal your relationship with food? Book a free discovery call here and let’s chat. 

 

References: 

1. 1. International Food Information Council. “2023 Food and Health Survey.” IFIC, 2023, https://www.foodinsight.org/2023-food-and-health-survey/.
   2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture.  Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th ed., U.S. Government Printing Office, December 2020. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2021-03/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans-2020-2024.
   3. Cleveland Clinic. “Americans Cite Cost of Healthy Food as Biggest Barrier to a Heart-Healthy Diet, According to Cleveland Clinic Survey.” Cleveland Clinic Newsroom, 1 Feb. 2023, https://newsroom.clevelandclinic.org/2023/02/02/americans-cite-cost-of-healthy-food-as-biggest-barrier-to-a-heart-healthy-diet-according-to-cleveland-clinic-survey.