The Habit of Eating and the Neuroscience Behind What We Choose to Consume.
- drterriwenner
- Sep 9
- 5 min read
Have you ever wondered how someone can make a familiar meal without a recipe? Or why why most of us immediately accept an offer for a favorite dessert, without a second thought? There’s a logical explanation for why we habitually do certain things and it has more to do with the nervous system in your brain than you might think. Understanding how habits are formed is the first step in learning how to begin new beneficial habits or change ones that are causing harm. Let’s take a closer look and see how we can apply this valuable information to making healthier diet choices on a daily basis.
Habit Formation Made Simple
Mendelsohn (2019) describes humans as creatures of habit and notes that engaging in certain activities without intense thought is both common and the brain's way of becoming more efficient. If we needed to intensely think about everything we do everyday, we would not get much done. Consider what it would be like if we needed to contemplate how to chew our food before each meal or what type of plate we should use. Thankfully, our brains realize this would be exhausting and when we repeat an action successfully several times, it becomes a welcome and useful habit.
A Healthline (2021) article explains the 4-part process of how habits are formed, known as the habit loop. First something that triggers or cues an action occurs. For example, your stomach grumbles and you notice that you are hungry. Secondly, you start craving something that will satisfy the cue (your hunger) which motivates you to do something about it. In the third part of the process, you respond with a behavior that has previously been successful in meeting this need. In our example, it could be eating several freshly baked chocolate chip cookies or a juicy steak. The final step is the reward, where the perceived need is met. Your hunger is satisfied, and neurologically speaking, this strengthens the belief that eating chocolate chip cookies or a steak results in a pleasant way of satisfying hunger. Cues - Craving- Response- Reward (CCRR).
Eating Habits Self-Reflection
Now that we understand how habits are formed, it's important to think about what types of habits we have developed. Today, let's focus on primarily on our eating habits. In a typical day, what, when and how do you generally eat? Here are a few reflection questions to get us started.
What do you generally have for breakfast? How much caffeine and sugar do you have to start the day?
Are fruits vegetables a routine part of any of your meals or snacks?
Do you know how much protein you eat a day?
Are you drinking water consistently or do you prefer other drinks?
Are there specific hours during the day when you intentionally eat or don't eat?
After you have reflected on what you are currently doing, an important question is, "Are you happy with your current eating habits?" If you are, that's wonderful news. If there is anything at all that you would like to adjust, congratulations on identifying a need for change. Awareness of something you would like to be different, is the first step in making it a reality (Zeine et al., 2024).
Develop an Improved Diet Plan
During the self-reflection process, many of us will identify some type of eating habit that is potentially harmful, and we do desire to correct it once and for all. Perhaps you would like to eat healthier options, reduce sugar or caffeine intake, eat less calories, limit snacks, drink more water, or stop eating after dinner. What is it that you believe would bring about better health outcomes for you and perhaps your family? While your list may be quite lengthy, it's best to choose only one of two habits to rewire at a time to improve your likelihood of success.
Ekman et al.,(2022) include healthy eating as one of the key "Good Habits" that can result in overall improved health and wellness, and emphasize the benefits for brain health. Optimal brain health can make learning easier and can also help your brain adapt to changes easier through improved neuroplasticity, or the ability for your brain to be rewired for better functioning.
Improved diet plan options are plentiful. Determining which plan is best for you is directly connected to your goal. Let's look at a person who notices they eat too much added sugar each day. They could begin counting how many grams of added sugar they consume each day and review current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommendations. Then specific limitations can be determined and techniques to reduce added sugar can be put into place.
Let Your Nervous System Be Your Motivator
Realizing there is a connection between our desire to change an unwanted habit and the nervous system habit loop, it's essential that we begin pushing our nervous system to learn a new, more desirable habit. If we tackle this challenge correctly, our nervous system will eventually guide our behavior and positive, beneficial habits will become second nature. Imagine intuitively seeking out sales on fresh fruit and vegetables rather than a buy-one-get-one bag of highly processed per-packaged snack food.
A Cleveland Clinic (2023) post lists 10 ways to promote neuroplasticity based on known principles about rewiring your brain. One principle is repetition. Someone seeking to cut down added sugar intake, might want to develop the habit of looking at every food label while preparing a meal or snack and not exceeding a certain amount of grams per eating session. By doing this same activity on a daily basis over weeks or months, this habit will become very routine and the mind will efficiently cue this activity.
Another great suggestion was proposed by the Center for Nutritional Psychology (2021) as they discussed the value of meditation and mindfulness habits on brain health as well as dietary choices. Positive thinking and choosing a variety of foods that are not processed and high in nutritional value can promote new brain cell growth and overall brain health. This is important for all the functions that brain cells are responsible for, such as clearly thinking, and processing information. And it is also invaluable in our efforts to rewire habits that we want to change!
Readers that desire to learn more about neuroplasticity, how to rewire your brain for positive habits, and who are ready to take the next steps, should consider checking out a book by Sinclair (2023). This book is available in a paperwork or Amazon Kindle version, details are listed below. The book is easy to read and includes several chapters on breaking the habit loop. Best wishes for success in creating better habits for your future!
References
Ekman, R., Fletcher, A., Giota, J., Eriksson, A., Thomas, B., & Bååthe, F. (2022). A flourishing brain in the 21st century: A scoping review of the impact of developing good habits for mind, brain, well‐being, and learning. Mind, Brain, and Education, 16(1), 13–23. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12305
Mendelsohn A. I. (2019). Creatures of habit: The neuroscience of habit and purposeful behavior. Biological Psychiatry, 85(11), e49–e51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.03.978
Zeine, F., Jafari, N., Nami, M., & Blum, K. (2024). Awareness integration theory: A psychological and genetic path to self-directed neuroplasticity. Health Sciences Review, 100169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hsr.2024.100169
Websites
Sinclair, A. (2023). Neuroplasticity in action: Rewiring your brain to change habits for good: Leveraging scientific advances in brain science to effectively modify behavior and transform your life. Enlighten. https://www.amazon.com/
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