Resisting the lure of unhealthy food
Consider what is lost by giving in - are you aware of the war in your stomach ?
Brain fog. That’s what happens to me when I give in to sweet or fatty food.
The rich taste slows my brain down.
My thoughts disperse, I can't focus... and in fact, I don't even want to.
I just sabotaged my brain, and my projects.
If I had to work now, the effort needed to fight the fog would far outweigh the fleeting pleasure of the high-calorie junk I consumed. I'll just have to procrastinate until I'm sober again, until my liver finishes working through its current challenge.
Research shows our craving for junk food is not so much the product of our own desire, as a survival mechanism triggered by certain intestinal bacteria. These bacteria trick us into craving certain foods they need to survive. The more you feed them, the more they multiply, and the stronger your cravings become. Starve them for a while, and the craving disappears. But first, it increases dramatically, as the junk-specific bacteria become desperate and push your discomfort to the highest level.
Will you resist this time ? If you do, every subsequent act of resistance will become easier. If you don't, it will feel all the more difficult to stop.
Most mornings I delay eating until I finished writing 300 words. I am much more focused when my stomach is empty. All the available energy can be used by my mind, none of it is required for my digestion. Once I'm done, the satisfaction of having accomplished something feeds me in a different way. My junk food bacteria are defeated, and I am left with healthy cravings for food that will nourish my body, without trying to make up for soul food.
To summarize, here's what happens when I give in to junk food :
- I lose focus
- I procrastinate
- I loathe myself and the temporary pleasure which is long gone
- Because of my frustration, I'm more likely to try and comfort myself again with the wrong food, feeding the frustration loop
- I let those junk food bacteria control me
Now let's see what happens when I resist :
- I focus on feeding myself with accomplishments
- I'm happy and don't need to comfort myself with junk food
- Junk food bacteria in my belly get replaced by healthy bacteria
- Unhealthy cravings get replaced with healthy cravings
- My energy increases, I gain momentum and accomplish more
“Nourish the mind like you would your body. The mind cannot survive on junk food”
Jim Rohn
“If we're not willing to settle for junk living, we certainly shouldn't settle for junk food.”
Sally Edwards
