How to Stop Thinking About Food
Do you constantly think about food throughout the day? When eating one meal, are you planning what to eat for the next? If you’re in charge of meal prep, do you mentally review the current shopping list in your head?
Obsessive food thoughts are not exclusive to those struggling with obesity. Many people do, and 20% of them are of a healthy weight, according to the former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Dr. David Kessler.
Kessler states that behaviors like loss of control over eating, lack of feeling satisfied by eating, and preoccupation with food is an issue he calls conditioned hyper-eating and it’s due to brain pathways established and reinforced by the regular consumption of high-fat, high-sugar, salty foods.
How to stop thinking about food can be a challenge, even if you eliminate sugar cravings, follow a healthy diet, and maintain a normal weight.
Preoccupation with food can silently creep into your thoughts, a habit triggered by emotions, environment, stress, and social occasions. But, looping back to food-related ideas can also occur when your body isn’t adequately nourished.
Yo-yo dieting and cutting down too much on carbs or calories can take over thoughts due to hunger, energy crash, or low blood sugar levels.
Hunger is a Natural Trigger for Your Body to Seek Out Calories.
The universe didn’t create food to thwart your pleasure-seeking genes. The desire for food is meant to be filled, ignore at your own peril. Such needs denied become an obsession.
Why am I Always Thinking About Food?
Most of us understand and can link our emotions to the desire for food, especially comfort foods. The brief remembrance of a favorite childhood meal brings a sense of peace, and you may even detect a powerful whiff-memory from the recesses of your brain.
Keeping yourself and your hands busy by eating may be your way to help alleviate feelings of anxiety. If that sounds familiar, try some creative ways to keep your hands moving, anything from arts and crafts to crochet, woodworking or zen-doodling!
Gather your thoughts for just a minute and notice how your environment sucks away at your brain power. It seems like every other TV commercial captures your attention with the most tantalizing food pics ever. And, when you go out, look around, and you’ll see a fast food restaurant on almost every corner. But, that’s not all…