“This means that in order to achieve long-term weight control you need to find healthy foods you actually enjoy eating, physical activities you like doing and spend your time making these as convenient and accessible as possible.” Dr. Darya Rose
Neuro scientist, Dr. Darya Rose, gives some insight into the workings of our brains particularly as it applies to dieting. She insists that willpower alone can’t carry us to successful weight loss. Our brains become tired from making decisions throughout the day. About 20% of the calories we spend during the day are used by our brains. When our blood sugar dips, so does our willpower. When our brain doesn’t have enough fuel, i.e. blood sugar, it is less capable of making decisions and defaults to habit and convenience. Habits take less brain power than decision making.
With this in mind, it behooves us to develop habits that make healthy eating our default. My habit is to eat oatmeal that my husband cooks for breakfast with berries and almonds. He adds yogurt and milk to his. We never have to ask ourselves, “What should we eat for breakfast today?” We already have a healthy habit in place. No decisions need to be made. We always make sure we have the few necessary ingredients on hand: old-fashioned oatmeal, frozen berries, sliced almonds, milk, and yogurt. The first meal of the day is a simple ritual. Another habit we have is to eat a hard boiled egg with some natural tortilla chips for a mid-morning snack. Once a week I boil enough eggs for our daily snack. Our morning snack is a habit. In the afternoon during hot weather, I make a fruit/milk smoothie for my husband. (Canned coconut cream for me without preservatives or any additives. Best price is at an Asian supermarket. Read the labels. Not all brands are pure coconut and water. The only difference between canned coconut milk and coconut cream is the percentage of water added. I buy the cream and dilute as necessary. I never buy coconut in boxes at the grocery store. Check the box, but in my experience there are additives.)
Convenience is another way our brains conserve energy. Habits remove the need for decisions and convenience means less effort has to be expended. I make sure I have a reasonably healthy quick snack always on hand for those low energy moments when I need a quick pick-me-up. Carbs are what our bodies crave when we’re tired. And not all carbs are evil. (See this blog article.) Processed carbs are the easiest to have on hand, but not the best nutritionally. However, if you need something quick and available, a piece of whole wheat toast with some natural peanut butter provides carbs and protein for a gradual blood sugar rise without the dreaded spike and fall. Other processed carbs like tortilla chips can be paired with protein such as cheese or hard boiled egg to give sustained energy. Just make it a habit to read labels. There are good and terrible forms of processed foods. Stay away from any food that has a long list of ingredients or unpronounceable words. Reject snacks with flavor enhancers and preservatives. Unprocessed carbs are best and can be kept on hand with a little planning. Fresh fruit eaten with some protein like cheese or nuts will give you an immediate lift and the protein will even out the blood sugar spike from the natural sugars in fruit. Hummus is a great snack because the garbanzo beans provide both carbs and protein. Remember to get a bit of protein with whichever carbs you choose in order to avoid a blood sugar spike that leaves you feeling drained in half an hour.
What snacks that you like will you keep on hand so it’s easy to default to grabbing a healthy pick-me-up? What habitual and tasty menu will you develop that will eliminate the need for decisions for at least some meals or snacks? It needs to taste good to you, or you won’t eat it!
To read more: http://summertomato.com/use-your-brain-to-lose-weight/