How to Change Bad Eating Habits: Simple Steps for a Healthier Lifestyle

Are you struggling to break free from unhealthy eating patterns? Discover practical strategies to change bad eating habits and adopt a nutritious, balanced diet. From mindful eating tips to understanding food triggers, learn how small, sustainable changes can lead to long-term health benefits

As adults, many of us excel at managing life’s complexities like navigating work, mortgages, and endless responsibilities. We meticulously plan for the future, making decisions to ensure financial stability and personal success.

However, when it comes to food, we often adopt a childlike mindset, reaching for quick and comforting processed foods like sugary snacks and fast food. Why do we act so rationally in other areas of life but make impulsive, often unhealthy choices when it comes to nutrition?

In this blog, we’ll explore the psychology and science behind these childlike eating habits, explain why processed foods are so appealing, and offer practical tips for breaking free from this mindset.

We’ll also discuss the importance of thinking about your future self, what decisions can you make today that will benefit your long-term health?

The Science Behind Our Childlike Food Choices

The inclination to choose processed, high-calorie foods is not just a matter of willpower; there are real psychological and biological factors at play.

Much of our eating behaviour is shaped by childhood experiences. According to research by Wardle and Cooke (2008), our preferences for sweet, salty, and energy-dense foods are often set during our formative years.

These early experiences create strong emotional connections with food, making us crave the same calorie-dense, sugary snacks we loved as children.

From a biological standpoint, we are hardwired to seek out energy-dense foods. This survival instinct was useful for our ancestors when food was scarce, but in today’s world, it drives us toward convenient, processed options that are easily available but nutritionally poor (Power & Schulkin, 2009). Foods high in sugar, fat, and salt activate reward pathways in the brain, releasing dopamine and giving us a temporary “feel-good” sensation (Stice et al., 2008).

Unfortunately, this short-term pleasure often leads to long-term health consequences like obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.

"Just for Now" vs. "Future Self" Thinking

The issue isn’t just rooted in biology or childhood conditioning; it’s also a matter of mindset. We tend to plan long-term when it comes to work, finances, and personal goals, but when it comes to food, we often make impulsive, "just for now" decisions.

Behavioural economist Derek Sivers (2011) explains that people frequently make decisions based on immediate gratification without considering the future consequences.

When we reach for that chocolate bar or opt for fast food, we are satisfying our present self, but what does our future self-want? Tomorrow's you—or next year's you—likely wants to be healthier, more energetic, and feel better overall.

Our current food choices have long-term impacts, from weight gain to chronic illness. It’s similar to taking out a loan without considering the long-term repayment: we wouldn’t do that with our finances, so why do we do it with our health?

The Role of Our Food Environment

One key factor driving these impulsive food choices is our environment. We live in what psychologist Paul Rozin (2006) calls an "obesogenic environment", a world where high-calorie, processed foods are not only available but constantly marketed to us. Fast food restaurants, sugary snack aisles, and adverts for convenience foods bombard us daily, making unhealthy choices feel normal.

Research by Steenhuis and Poelman (2017) shows that portion sizes have significantly increased over the last few decades, contributing to overconsumption. This trend promotes a "clean your plate" mentality, rooted in childhood but detrimental in today's world of oversized portions.

Being mindful of these environmental influences is essential. By recognising the factors that contribute to impulsive food choices, we can start taking proactive steps to make better decisions.

The Impact of Sleep and Physical Activity on Food Choices

It’s not just food choices themselves that matter; our overall health, especially sleep and physical activity both play a crucial role in shaping our relationship with food. According to Greer, Goldstein, and Walker (2013), poor sleep has been linked to an increased craving for unhealthy, junk foods. Sleep deprivation disrupts the hormones that regulate hunger (ghrelin and leptin), making you more likely to overeat or crave processed snacks.

Similarly, regular physical activity can help regulate appetite and reduce the urge to reach for unhealthy comfort foods. Exercise not only improves physical health but also enhances mood and energy levels (Blundell et al., 2015). When you feel better overall, you’re less likely to use food as an emotional crutch.

How to Start Thinking Like an Adult About Food

So, how can we change our mindset and start thinking about food in a more adult, long-term way?

1. Plan for Future You: Shift your mindset from short-term gratification to long-term health. Ask yourself, "What does my future self want?" Will your future self be grateful you opted for a nutritious meal today or regret that you gave in to cravings?

2. Change Your Environment: Take control of your food environment. Make healthy foods more accessible by planning meals in advance, stocking up on whole, unprocessed foods, and removing unhealthy snacks from your home. Reducing the temptation in your environment can significantly improve your eating habits.

3. Focus on Sleep and Exercise: Prioritise sleep and physical activity. By improving your overall health, you’ll find it easier to make better food choices. Aim for at least seven to eight hours of sleep per night and incorporate regular exercise into your routine.

4. Start Small: You don’t have to overhaul your entire diet overnight. Start by making small, sustainable changes—swap out one unhealthy snack for a nutritious option, add more vegetables to your meals, or choose water instead of sugary drinks.

Final Thoughts

While it’s easy to fall back on childlike habits when it comes to food, we have the power to change. By making decisions with our future selves in mind, adjusting our environment, and focusing on improving sleep and physical activity, we can start thinking like adults about nutrition too.

These changes not only improve our health today but also lay the foundation for a healthier, happier future. It’s time to stop making impulsive, "just for now" decisions and start thinking long-term, you’ll thank yourself later.

Sources

Blundell, J. E., Gibbons, C., Caudwell, P., Finlayson, G., & Hopkins, M. (2015). Appetite control and energy balance: impact of exercise. Obesity Reviews, 16(S1), 67-76.

Greer, S. M., Goldstein, A. N., & Walker, M. P. (2013). The impact of sleep deprivation on food desire in the human brain. Nature Communications, 4(1), 2259.

Power, M. L., & Schulkin, J. (2009). The Evolution of Obesity. Johns Hopkins University Press.

Rozin, P. (2006). The integration of biological, social, cultural, and psychological influences on food choice. In Shepherd, R. & Raats, M. (Eds.), The Psychology of Food Choice (pp. 19-39). CABI Publishing.

Sivers, D. (2011). Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur. The Domino Project.

Steenhuis, I. H., & Poelman, M. P. (2017). Portion size: latest developments and interventions. Current Obesity Reports, 6(1), 10-17.

Stice, E., Spoor, S., Bohon, C., & Small, D. M. (2008). Relation between obesity and blunted striatal response to food is moderated by TaqIA A1 allele. Science, 322(5900), 449-452.

Wardle, J., & Cooke, L. (2008). Genetic and environmental determinants of children’s food preferences. British Journal of Nutrition, 99(S1), S15-S21.