Isn’t it funny how quickly our past can dictate our present without us even realizing it? Something as simple as a childhood lesson can have a powerful impact on our adult life and even our health.
Growing up, I was always encouraged to clean my plate because there were starving kids in Africa who don’t have anything --- a classic case of guilt. And, although I was never truly forced to clean my plate, I also heard the dreaded words that millions of kids have heard for generations: “You can’t have anything sweat until you finish your veggies and meat” --- a classic case of bribery. I’m sure a lot of you can relate to this.
From my own personal perspective, I learned to eat faster in order to get to “the good stuff”. For as long as I can remember, I was always a heavy kid. I remember being mortified every time we had to buy new clothes. My mom always had to buy my jeans at Sears because I needed Tough Skin Husky size jeans. You see, I had fallen into a cycle of eating fast, not giving my brain time to catch up to my stomach, and cleaning my plate, just to get to “the good stuff”.
Many a well-intentioned parent has fallen into this same trap. I’m one of them --- I have used guilt & bribery to encourage my own kids to eat more healthy foods. It’s simply engrained in us from a very early age. It’s comfortable, it’s familiar, and it even works to some degree.
The problem with most people arises when the voices of guilt and bribery don't have to be audibly spoken, and the automatic drive to eat faster overtakes the brain’s ability to tell you when you’re full. At some point in our developmental years, we hear these messages so much, and develop bad eating habits to the point that it becomes a part of who we are. On many levels, it’s no longer even conscious. It forces us into a cycle of consuming more calories, which is a huge problem.
In my next installment, we’ll talk about some things you can do to end this cycle.
To Your Health,
Brian Brown
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