Hypnotherapy
Why do we eat Junk Food?
31/08/17 21:07
A study published by Dr Benjamin Schuz, of the University of Tasmania; entitled "Stimulus control and affect in dietary behaviours. An intensive longitudinal study", has determined a number of factors that make it hard to give up junk food.
The study involved 53 adults over the period of 10 days, and looked at the factors that influenced eating and drinking habits.
A summary of the main findings were as follows:
1. FOOD AVAILABILITY
If you have food easily available to you, you are more likely to eat it. So that packet of Tim Tams you have stashed away for guests, those Lollies in your pantry or even those fundraising chocolates at work make it easy for you to eat junk food. You are more likely to consume them whether you are hungry or not. So if you don't want to eat junk food don't purchase them in the first place. As the saying goes: "Out of sight, out of mind".
2. SEEING OTHERS EAT
Seeing other people eat, psychologically gives us permission to eat whether we are hungry or not. This can be observed in food courts where people are generally always eating whether it's meal time or not. A 30 year study (Framingham Heart Study) indicated that we become like the people we spend our time with. So if you are surrounded with people eating junk food you will more likely eat junk food. But the opposite is also true, if you spend time with healthy people you are more likely to eat healthy. So to avoid this at work, make your own healthy lunches and don't go out to the food court to eat.
3. NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
Some people use food to relieve stress, to cope with depression, sadness, loneliness or boredom. This will then trigger even worse feelings of guilt for the overeating. But this is just a learnt behaviour that we either learnt while were children. Or became influenced by media to feel better after we eat junk food. There are a few ways to control comfort eating; firstly choose portion controlled treats. And secondly identify when you are feeling down or sad and learn new ways to cheer yourself up. This is where hypnotherapy can help; to change your bad eating habit and remove negative emotions.
4. KEEPING BUSY
Put simply, keeping yourself busy helps you control your food intake. By engaging your mind and body in activities other than eating, resulted in fewer snacks being consumed. This explains why we eat more at night when we are at home relaxing on the couch.
5. BEING WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY
Everyone loves the company of other people; especially when you have an engaging conversation. The study actually found when we are around friends and family there is a significant decrease in consumption of snacks. So when you are due for a snack or meal seek out company, it's another simple way to control the amount of food you eat.
So if you need help with your junk food cravings and want to lose weight to get to your ideal body size. Contact Dion from Meta Hypnotherapy now for a FREE 15 minute phone consultation:
https://calendly.com/metahypnotherapy/15min