When I feel sad, I eat ice cream.
When I feel anxious, I eat fast.
When I feel bored, I eat chips.
When I feel lonely, I eat peanut butter.
When I feel tired, I drink coffee.
When I feel physical pain, I eat something sweet.
When I feel stressed, I eat something salty.

When it’s cold outside, I eat soup.
When it’s hot outside, I drink an Icee.
When I go to mom and dad’s for thanksgiving, I overeat.
When I spend holidays alone, I indulge on cookie dough.
When others provide the food, I eat triple the amount I usually eat.
When I’m with my friends, I barely eat.

Do any of these sound like your habits?

Many of the bad food habits we have, started with a choice rooted in a mindset or a tradition. What’s detrimental is how habits are so often justified, even when people know they are unhealthy and destructive. I see these justifiers most often:

[Minimizing]
“I only do this on thanksgiving.” This mindset causes one to perceive themselves as the judge. They have rated the severity of their choice based on a biased, subjective scale. A problem with this type of thinking is, what was originally a minor or occasional choice “I only do this on thanksgiving.” can turn into twenty-five “once a year” justifications and play out to be a habit that occurs approximately every two weeks the entire year!

[Self-Pity]
“Well I didn’t get _________, so I’ll give myself __________.” This mindset causes one to perceive themselves as the provider. They have justified their own return based on the injustice they felt from what they did or didn’t initially receive. A problem with this type of thinking is, there are always many things (tangible and intangible) we don’t get that we want, and things that we get but don’t want. If not getting what we want propels us to serve ourselves all the more, we continually produce dissatisfaction, greed, and self-centeredness.

[Lack]
“I don’t have the __________ (knowledge, energy, resource, understanding) required to make a different choice, so I’ll keep doing what I’ve been doing.” This mindset causes one to perceive themselves as incapable. They have limited their future based upon their present. A problem with this type of thinking is, application and risk-taking make room for increase. When we sow lack, we reap lack.  

[Familiarity]
“Well everyone is doing __________, so I will too.” This mindset causes one to perceive themselves as common. They see being similar to others as favorable and forfeit their own progress to blend in. They limit themselves to the behavior of a tradition instead of being authentic. A problem with this type of thinking is, each person has an individual destiny to fulfill and purpose to display. This cannot take place when focused on being common.

[Connection]
“I don’t want to upset my grandma, so I’ll eat the bologna sandwiches she made.” This mindset causes one to perceive themselves as the keeper of others’ emotions. They think connection can only exist if happiness is achieved. They believe that a relationship is formed, advanced, or sustained by performance or pleasure. A problem with this type of thinking is, pleasure is fleeting and will never serve as a true foundation for love. And taking false responsibility to please another gives way to performance and chokes the possibility for genuine value, connection, and affection.

[Loss]
“If I make a new choice, I will lose the tradition-which means I’ll lose the positive emotions (happy, hopeful, relaxed, loved) I’ve attached to it”. This mindset causes one to perceive themselves as emotionally dependent on the ideal experience of a tradition. A problem with this type of thinking is, there are so many variables that impact the manifestation of an ideal that dependence upon it will only lead to disappointment.

[Fear]
“I’d rather not make a new choice, because I may feel foreign, and that could be uncomfortable, and feeling uncomfortable is miserable.” This mindset causes one to perceive themselves as better (safer) where they are. They use inner formulas like me + new = foreign, foreign + me= uncomfortable, me + uncomfortable= miserable. Or me + new = foreign, foreign + me= unknown, me + unknown= fear, me + fear=undesirable, so I’ll stay right where I am. A problem with this type of thinking is, the negative forecasting that predetermines any sort of a newness will bring a bad result.

You may be thinking “what does all this have to do with food?” A lot. We need to eat food on a regular basis to live, and the way we think about anything is displayed through our actions. Our actions with food reveal our thoughts. Don’t feel intimidated, this connection is so helpful for transformation. When we recognize and analyze our actions, we discover the motivating thoughts. When we discover our thoughts, we can change our thoughts, and new actions will follow.

The mindsets listed above are governing how many people and family lines think and eat in the United States. This holiday season identify one of the mindsets above that influences your life and commit to make one new choice as it relates to food that opposes that mindset. Watch the impact that new choice has on your soul and body, and the people around you!