Don’t set yourself up to fail

“I’m on the see-food diet ...I see food and then I eat it”

We really do eat with our eyes. Have you ever noticed that you are much more tempted to eat the chocolates or the sweet treats when they are sitting on your desk at work or when they are out and visible in your kitchen? Do you feel the need to eat a slice of pizza if your partner has chosen to eat some but otherwise wouldn’t be so tempted? When we have food very readily available to us, we are much more likely to want to eat it. Whilst our willpower may stop us from reaching for that food the first time we look at it, or the second...eventually we may just give in.

Some people I work want to change some of their food related habits but then find that their kitchens and workplaces are still full of the foods that they would prefer not to eat. This makes it really difficult to change. If you have to walk past the cakes 100 times or come home in the evening to a kitchen full of processed food - it is going to be difficult to avoid it. This is particularly true if you find yourself extremely tired or stressed as the part of your brain that allows you to exercise willpower over your choices starts to function less effectively when you are stressed or tired (or drunk incidientally).

So what can you do so that you don’t set yourself up to fail on your new goal to nourish your body and eat more healthily? Try to keep mainly healthy food at home and make it the healthy food that you keep visible and readily accessible. If your workplace is filled with unhealthy foods - try and avoid going past these or keep healthier snacks on your desk so that you reach for these first. This is why it is also easier to lead a healthy lifestyle if friends and family are doing the same - because it is much easier to give in to eating unhealthy foods if those around us are indulging in these things regularly. So try and get those around you on-board with your new goal of eating well.

Make sure the first things you see around you are the things you want to eat...because so many of us do just “see-food and eat it” - but being on the see-food diet isn’t so bad if you have surrounded yourself with vegetables, whole-fruits, nuts and other things that are good for your body!