There are many causes for unhealthy eating habits. Some are biological and some are psychological. Here are the most common ones:
1. It's a habit to eat bad foods. Some people are raised on regional/ethnic cooking that isn't always healthy.
2. It's convenient to eat bad foods. Can you name any health-food-drive-through chain restaurants in Canada?
3. It's a vicious cycle. People fall into a cycle of eating sugar, and the cycle perpetuates itself. When you eat sugar, you get a sugar rush, but a few hours later your blood sugar level drops and you crave a sweet or starchy pick me-up.
4. Hormones make bad foods look good. The changes in hormone levels during pregnancy, PMS and menopause can cause women to crave sweets and chocolate.
5. It's comforting to eat bad foods. Excessive stress elevates cortisol, which leads to cravings and often what is called 'emotional eating.' When people are stressed, depressed, anxious, or just low in serotonin, norepinephrine or dopamine, they often reach for foods that pump up these feel-good chemicals. Too often, however, these foods are junk foods, processed foods, and foods high in sugar, making them unhealthy choices.
1. It's a habit to eat bad foods. Some people are raised on regional/ethnic cooking that isn't always healthy.
2. It's convenient to eat bad foods. Can you name any health-food-drive-through chain restaurants in Canada?
3. It's a vicious cycle. People fall into a cycle of eating sugar, and the cycle perpetuates itself. When you eat sugar, you get a sugar rush, but a few hours later your blood sugar level drops and you crave a sweet or starchy pick me-up.
4. Hormones make bad foods look good. The changes in hormone levels during pregnancy, PMS and menopause can cause women to crave sweets and chocolate.
5. It's comforting to eat bad foods. Excessive stress elevates cortisol, which leads to cravings and often what is called 'emotional eating.' When people are stressed, depressed, anxious, or just low in serotonin, norepinephrine or dopamine, they often reach for foods that pump up these feel-good chemicals. Too often, however, these foods are junk foods, processed foods, and foods high in sugar, making them unhealthy choices.
Nice post. For a bit of light relief you might enjoy this cartoon about the food pyramid. http://caroleschatter.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/food-pyramid.html
ReplyDelete