We eat because we’re hungry, we eat because we need some energy, we eat because we’re bored, but in a much larger sense, why? Let’s take a look at the science of eating. Warning, you will be jonesing for a snack after this.
We eat because food brings us pleasure. You don’t need us to tell you that a warm donut is going to feel like eating a hug. But we want you to stop and think for a moment about every diet that has ever existed, and what’s the catch? You have to eliminate something whether that’s carbs, gluten, dairy, or what have you, and what happens when we deny ourselves literally anything? We want it real bad and when we get it, it’s just that much sweeter.
We think, therefore we eat. The power of thought is extremely powerful and when it’s being associated with how we view food, it’s known as expectation assimilation which refers to the notion that our taste perceptions are biased by our imagination, and if you expect a food to taste good it will. And if you expect a food to taste unpleasant it will. Set your food expectation high and every meal will taste gourmet, even that frozen pizza.
Presentation is everything. Believe it or not, how your food is presented is just as important as how it tastes. Studies have found that regardless of what kind of food it is, if it’s presented beautifully, it’s more likely to get gobbled up than something that isn’t being presented as nicely.
Out of sight, out of mouth. Studies have also found that by simply not seeing food, we won’t be tempted to eat it. For instance, if we forget we have a bag of our favorite chips sitting in a cabinet, we aren’t going to crave them. But switch up the location of those chips to the countertop and before we know it, we’ve devoured the bag. Take this knowledge and run with it if you’re trying to eat healthier, hide the unhealthy stuff and keep the healthy foods front and center.
Convenience and consumption go hand in hand because when something is readily available to us, all of a sudden that’s what we want. We may not even be hungry, but if there is a package of cookies nearby, “just one” turns into several real fast.