Paige Harris The top six sources of calories in America may not be as surprising as you think, but that definitely doesn’t make them healthful. How many of these foods do you eat in a day?
“You are what you eat.”
Most of you have heard this quote, I’m sure. But have you ever really stopped to consider what it means for your body and your health? Have you ever thought about what the food you eat may be doing to your body? How it may be making you feel?
Think about it: The majority of Americans are getting all of their energy from the six food groups above. But with the exception of certain chicken dishes, processed foods make up every single one of them.
Processed foods are foods that have been macerated, liquified, emulsified, cooked, preserved, pickled, canned, or somehow otherwise manufactured or transformed before they make their way into our stores, kitchens, and eventually stomachs. On the other hand we have whole foods, which are natural and unprocessed, like most fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
We all know that we should get the majority of our calories from whole, unprocessed foods if we want to be healthy, but yet we choose to eat foods like those listed above. But why?
News Flash: These processed foods are designed to be overeaten.
Every single one of the foods on this list has been carefully designed to be addictive in nature. Once you take one bite, your brain is overwhelmed with the taste of fats, sugars, and salt — the three components of hyper-palatability. When your brain senses these components, it immediately tries to stock-pile them for later use. After all, more fat and sugar means more calories, which means more fuel to stay alive — at least in our primal minds.
A potato is one of my favorite examples to use to explain this. It sounds crazy, but hear me out. If someone set 1000 calories worth of baked potatoes in front of you, you would be struggling to eat it all in one sitting. Your body’s feeling of satiety (fullness) would kick in and stop you before you got too far. But what if someone cut up those potatoes, fried them in oil, and covered them in salt? You could eat 1000 calories worth of potato chips easily — and still be hungry for more.
These foods also tend to have a certain reward or ‘fun’ factor about them. Consider alcohol, for example. Most people don’t enjoy the first sip of beer they ever have (I know I sure didn’t), but we learn to tolerate and even grow to like the taste because of the context. We want to go out and have a drink with friends or celebrate a life event, and that usually means alcohol is involved. Pretty soon, we’ll start to like those foods because of those associations.
But while your brain may love these hyper-palatable, processed foods, your body definitely doesn’t.
Think about the last time you ate a few slices of pizza. How did you feel afterward? Tired? Lethargic? Bloated? I know that I do. What about fried chicken? That one really does it for me. A few hours post-chicken you’re sure to find me making a bee-line for the nearest bathroom.
We all joke about feeling awful after eating overly processed foods, and yet we still continue to eat them. The hyper-palatable and fun social aspects of them make sure of that. So if they’re so irresistible, how can we fight back?
We need to start paying more attention to how the foods we eat make our bodies feel.
The next time you indulge in a processed food, pay attention. How did you feel before eating the food? How do you feel now? Where did you get the food? Did you stop by McDonald’s on the way home after work, or did your grandma bake you something sweet? Did you eat the food because you were truly hungry, or was it just the clock telling you that it was time to eat?
When you start to consider all of these variables, you’ll be able to make more informed decisions the next time a processed, ‘unhealthy’ food choice comes up in your life.
It will no longer be, “I can’t have that,” but “I don’t want that.”
This doesn’t mean that you’ll never be able to go out for happy hour after work or never enjoy another piece of cake for the rest of your life. If an occasion comes up where you have the option to eat something processed, you should weigh all of the variables. This means that if a friend is in from out of town to celebrate your birthday, you may go out and get a few drinks and a slice of pizza or two with them. The social aspects of it make it mean more. But those late night trips to your favorite fast-food joint? Maybe you’ll realize that they aren’t worth it to you anymore.
I still indulge in a sweet treat every night because I enjoy it, and I don’t mind the sugar content or carbohydrate sleepiness when it’s closer to bedtime. But I also make sure to eat whole, low-sugar foods throughout my day and limit my carbohydrates to ward off mid-afternoon sleepiness because that’s how I feel my best.
An easy way to start figuring out what foods your body likes best is by keeping a Food Journal. This doesn’t mean you have to carve out hours each day to detail what you eat. Just jot down your meals and your mood for the day. After a week or so, look for patterns. When you had that glass of wine, did it impact your sleep? Did that helping of French fries make you feel bloated? How were your bowel movements? These simple questions can help you make associations between food and feelings, and help you make forward-thinking food choices in the future.
If you want a quick guide to get started, download my Food Feelings Workbook!
If you begin incorporating more fresh and unprocessed foods into your diet, I promise you’ll be amazed at the change in how your body feels.
