Temptations and the unreliability of willpower

Recent research has found that avoiding temptation works better than relying only on willpower when faced with temptation. (You can see the original article here: Restricting Temptations: Neural Mechanisms of Precommitment)

The idea of avoiding "tempting" foods in order to eat less of them seems rather obvious. However, does it work well for everyone? This particular study didn't look at food temptations, so can we expect the same results? I think this is a more complicated answer than initially thought and it will depend on how you avoid temptations.

Let's imagine that the food temptations we are talking about are foods rich in calories, sugar or fat. If there are none of these foods lying around the house or the office and we have to trek to the store to buy them, then it is obvious that we will eat less of them since the temptation is not close by. If we take that thought one step further and say that if we buy these tempting foods in small quantities instead of larger ones, then it will be easier to resist temptations since we won't have any leftovers.

BUT, if we never allow ourselves fun food (at least) once in awhile, then this plan may backfire. If these tempting foods are banned completely from our lives for any reason (to be uber healthy, to lose weight, to get "back on track", etc) we will end up wanting them more- even when none of these foods are in sight. It's the concept of "we want what we can't have". This concept drives most people crazy and increases their cravings for these "banned" food.

The idea of eating only very "healthy" foods is quite popular right now. But is it "normal" to never eat a food rich in fat or sugar or calories? NO. This slippery slope of thinking often leads to a pattern of under eating, feeling deprived then overeating (and possibly even binge eating).

This particular study looked at what happens when people commit to a bigger reward if they resist smaller temptations. This reminds me of what so many people call a "cheat day". Eating only really healthy foods for most days of the week then allowing themselves to "cheat" (I prefer the word treat) for one day or a meal. The popularity of this concept does not make it a healthy way of thinking. Allowing yourself a treat a few times a week and planning ahead is a great idea, and this study suggests it will help you resist the urge to cave to smaller, less rewarding temptations.

HOWEVER, under eating all week long just to give yourself permission to eat "bad" foods is a slippery slope. It is hard to eat these so called "bad" foods in normal portions once you are done denying yourself. You train your body to eat as much as you can on the odd occasion you allow yourself the food. Calling it a cheat or a bad food actually pushes people to eat it in large quantities.

For people who find they "just have no willpower" and feel they cave to all cravings, this study suggests you plan out how you will enjoy more important (or bigger) temptations ahead of time. This kills two birds with one stone- it forces you to plan out your week to see what special event is happening (ex. 5 a 7 at work, birthday party or BBQ) in order to enjoy and fit the "fun" foods (higher calorie temptations we mentioned earlier) into your plan as well as understand that including them on a regular basis is a healthy, normal part of life.

Eating disorders: "simple" solution, complex issue

Eating disorders can be hard to understand. What seems like a straight forward “skewed vision of one's body” is rarely this simple.

Providing a fridge full of good food or begging people with an eating disorder to "just eat!" very rarely works. No matter how minor the problem seems to be (and it is common to scoff it off as not serious enough for therapy) professional help is needed to recover. One problem that tends to be underestimated is binge eating disorder. Unfortunately, many people who suffer from BED have the same body image problems as people with anorexia or bulimia.

Why professional help? Because they help the sufferer deal with all the major complexities of an eating disorder. Believing yourself to be “fat” when you are thin (or a normal weight) is only one of the symptoms of an eating disorder. A major component that goes one step deeper is the fact that self-worth is based on weight. The higher the weight, the lower the self-worth. Rather than looking at all aspects of life that make up an evaluation of one’s self, like being a nice person, a good student, a kind daughter/son, punctual, reliable, etc-  weight is the most important aspect.

This is why exploring more than just body weight is needed for recovery. Specialized psychologists and dietitians can help with all behaviors of an eating disorder to help increase other aspects of life that make up self-worth.

When weight loss is the goal, no amount of weight lost is enough. Food becomes feared since it brings the person farther away from their goal of weighing less. This fear can be compared to a fear of dogs. If someone has an intense fear of dogs, they will likely do anything they can to get away from one or avoid being close to one. This intense fear can lead them to do things that puts their life in danger. Imagine running into traffic after being scared by a dog on the street or being confining to the house since there may be a dog outside. Neither of these behaviors are healthy but they are done to avoid the dog. Similarly, if someone is scared of food, they may avoid social situations where food is the main event, live with a dangerously low body weight or even sacrifice their teeth to get rid of any food eaten.

So, would offering food to someone who is scared help to decrease this fear? Well, in the short run, no. It is a process that takes time. Small exposures to the thing that is feared (whether it be dogs or food) and working up to the equivalent to petting a dog works best. Although someone who is underweight would benefit from eating high calorie foods, it takes time to work up to being able to do it. This process is best done with the help of a professional to help guide and provide support. Usually it starts by adding “safe” foods to a routine and progress to more “scary” foods.

One thing that has been proven time and time again, is that returning to a healthy weight by eating the foods your body needs is the most effective treatment for an eating disorder. 

Learn how to CONTROL what you eat with this simple strategy

Having food rules, diet rules and food restrictions are sadly becoming the norm nowadays. So common, in fact, that it can be hard to even identify the ones you follow. This is especially true if you have been following them for a long time.
Food rules can be about what or what not to eat. For example, "I am not allowed to eat chocolate because it is bad". They can be about restricting the time you can eat. For example "I am not allowed to eat past 7pm". They can be about how much to eat. For example "If I eat more than 1 slice of bread per day, I will gain weight".
Clients often describe using rules a means of controlling of their weight or body. Often they feel that if they give up these rules they will lose control, overeat or eat an unhealthy food. This may sound like it makes sense, but in reality, having "control" over something involves having choices. Funny enough, having many food rules or restrictions actually takes away your choices. If I want to have control over what I watch on my TV, I must have the remote and have access to a few channels. Same goes for my food and health- I must have food choices in order to really be able to chose what/when/how I eat.
Following rules forces you to listen to external factors rather than your body's signals (internal ones) to decide when, how much and what to eat. Our bodies have evolved to have built in mechanisms that will signal when it requires energy and when it has had enough. This is a scary concept for some people because they feel they cannot trust these signals, and there is some truth to these fears. If you have stopped listening to your body's hunger and satiety signals for a long time, they can be hard to hear. Also, if you are following a restrictive diet or are very preoccupied with food, the fact you are not eating enough can push you to overeat. Breaking free of food rules and restrictions can actually help you hear you understand your body's signals and experience fewer episodes of overeating.
Replacing erroneous food rules and myths with healthy guidelines (that are flexible and realistic) can be one step in the right direction. One simple way to do this: take a peek at the food guide. It has realistic guidelines and tells you exactly what your body needs to be healthy.
The facts is, avoiding certain foods does not automatically make you a healthier person, or a better person. Fun foods can be included from time to time in a way that is enjoyable and has no negative effects to your health or weight.

The KEY to eating less is...

PORTION SIZE.
It may be one of the more difficult things to change about the way you eat (and is certainly one of the less glamorous), but it is one of the most efficient ways to eat fewer calories.
Step one: understand just how big your current portion sizes are which must come before determining what to cutting down on. To do this, you have a few options: start measuring out what you each with measuring cups OR use something that is always handy.... like your own hand!

Portion sizes are the most basic concept on which the “healthy versus less healthy” universe is based. No one food is evil since it’s really the portion of the food that counts. However, this is one of the least understood technical info in the nutrition world. It’s not complicated and certainly anyone can learn basic portion sizes! 

Since your hand is in proportion to you overall body size, it's a great reference tool on which to base your food needs.

Check out these simple ways to use your hand to estimate portion sizes, no matter where you are or what you are eating.
(please note that a fist is generally = to one cup)

Slowing things down

We have all heard that eating more slowly is healthy because it can help us eat less. By taking more time to eat, we can focus on the flavors rather than the quantity of food therefore meals are more satisfying even if we eat less. The tricky part is not understanding why but HOW. How can we eat more slowly?! How can we surpass the average length of time for a meal (a mere 11 minutes!!) and eat less without being (or feeling like we are) on a diet?

1. Start the meal with a soup or a salad. Beginning the meal with a lower calorie food can help satisfy your immediate hunger and allows you to take your time with the main dish (which is higher in calories).

2. Serve yourself less. Having less food in front of you puts less of a stress on your self control and makes it a no-brainer to eat less.

3. Turn off the TV. Focus on the task at hand- tasting flavors and textures, hearing the crunch, feeling the food descend into your stomach. Lets give food the attention it deserves!

4. Dim the lights, light candles and listen to slow music. With a calmer environment we tend to be calmer when eating.

5. Put down the fork between bites. Physically forcing yourself to take a breath before picking up the fork again, helps to slow down this physical habit.

6. Eat with chopsticks. The bites will be smaller but will likely be tastier!

7. Chew eat bite 4-5 times before swallowing. This will help with digestion as well.

8. Take a sip of water between bites. The water not only takes up space in our stomach but it forces you to take a breath between bites.

9. Pick a time to take a break from the meal (ex. in 5 minutes). Use this break time to evaluate how hungry/full you are and decide if you have to continue eating. This helps to remove our automatic behavior of finishing our plate.

10. Focus on the flavors. Try to identify the spices and herbs used in the recipe. We naturally eat new foods slower because we are trying to taste everything. Why not rediscover a regular recipe this same way?

The P word

Food processing: is a set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by humans in the home or in the food industry.

One of the newer trends in nutrition and food is the idea that fresh, natural foods are healthier than processed foods. Sometimes the claims state that these foods contain more vitamins or minerals, or that they have lost fewer nutrients for the lack of processing, or even that processing can affect how the body digests the food. Sometimes, very little proof beyond the fact that it is more "natural" is used to hook buyers.


In general, it is true that the more a food is processed the more salt, sugar and other additives it may contain. However, as usual with food and nutrition there is often another side to the argument. One of which is that certain vitamins can be affected by shipping fresh foods and by freezing them before shipping can actually deliver to the consumer a more "fresh" product that is frozen. This is true mainly for fruits and vegetables.

Another fact remains that some foods cannot be eaten without certain processing taking place. For example, legumes or pulses such as chickpeas, kidney beans and lentils cannot be eaten dry. They must be "processed" (cooked) before our body can digest the fiber and protein they contain. Another example is meat (chicken, red meat pork)- it is unsafe for our body to consume these foods without cooking therefore we could never consume them without "processing".

Bread has been under fire over the last 20 years, one of the reasons (among many) being that it is a processed food. Without processing, we cannot consume wheat, oat, quinoa, or many other grains. If we continue with the example of bread, it cannot be made without processing. First the grains must be crushed to form flour (processing), then they must be combined with other ingredients (yeast, salt, sugar, water, etc) and cooked (processed).

Sea salt has been another rising star in the world of natural foods. You may have heard of such claims as that is contains less sodium (not true), it affects blood pressure less than regular table sat (untrue) and that it does not contain iodine which table salt often does (true but why is iodine bad exactly... they don't explain, likely because there is no reason or at least they have not thought up one yet).

As with most things in nutrition, there is no black and white, or good and bad foods. We must instead use our judgement before labeling foods as everyday foods or occasional foods. And don't forget to check your references! Obviously if a natural food company is trying to sell you their latest all natural, unprocessed sea salt they are going to market it as the prefect product.

Often rather healthy foods such as bread will be labeled bad due to a misunderstood rumor of processing, while other foods will rise to fame for undue claims (for example: spelt or Splenda). Learn how to read labels in order to determine if a processed food has been rendered less nutritious than its fresh counterpart.

Thanks to processing we can enjoy foods such as cheese, wine and dark chocolate. Who would argue with that!?