Thinking about food some of the time is normal since it is necessary for our survival. However, if you find yourself thinking about food all the time, it might be worth digging a little deeper.
Causes of increased thoughts about food:
Physical hunger
Our body needs a regular and adequate supply of food to stay alive. Every heartbeat, breath we take, blink of our eyes and thought we have requires energy from food. If we don’t consume enough for these vital functions, our body will send us a host of signals to force us to seek out adequate food. One of these signals is increased thoughts about food.
Advertising
There is a reason food manufacturers spend so much money on advertising… it works! Studies have shown that adults and children exposed to food advertisements are driven to eat more food.
Emotions or stress
When we are stressed, lonely, sad, anxious or bored, thoughts of food may arise if we have become programmed to use food as a coping mechanism. On the flip side, when we are happy, we may have increased thoughts about food since food is so often associated with happy occasions (e.g. Birthday cake, Christmas lunch, Valentine’s day chocolates etc).
Eating disorders or disordered eating
One of the common signs of an eating disorder is a preoccupation with food. This may be due to emotional eating, dietary restriction and associated physical hunger, binge eating, low weight or compensatory behaviours.
Steps you can take to manage your thoughts about food:
1. Make sure you are eating enough.
One of the clues that our body isn’t getting enough food is an increase in thoughts about food. This is a natural biological mechanism to encourage us to seek out more food, ensuring that we are well-nourished. Our bodies are truly amazing at taking care of us!
So, the first step to help reduce thoughts about food is to consider whether you are eating enough and increase your intake if needed. As a starting point, make sure you are eating 3 main meals and 2-3 snacks per day.
2. Keep a food journal
Recording your food intake and any thoughts or feelings you have can help you determine what might be causing the increase in food thoughts. My free food diary will be useful here.
Ask yourself:
Am I stressed, sad, or anxious over something, like school, a social situation, or at home?
Has there been an event in my life that I'm having trouble dealing with?
3. Remove the food rules
Have you heard the saying “you always want what you can’t have”? Well, this is often the case with food too. When we tell ourselves we can’t have a particular food, we tend to crave it more and have increased thoughts about it.
Give yourself permission to eat all foods and notice if this decreases thoughts about food.
4. Pay attention to your hunger
Many of us lose touch with our body’s natural hunger signals, however if we don’t eat when we begin to experience hunger, our body sends out stronger and more frequent signals to make us pay attention. Recognising this hunger and eating something as soon as it appears is key to keep thoughts at bay.
If you have lost touch with your own hunger and fullness signals, you can download my free resource here.
5. Know when to ask for help.
If your thoughts about food have become so intense that they interfere with normal daily activities, or if you suspect you might have an eating disorder, please book in for a free introductory call here.
