Food greed and how to overcome it: Dietitian's advice
Illustrative photo (Freepik)
Many people tend to consume much more food than necessary when they feel hungry. This behavior is known as "food greed."
Dietitian Svitlana Mariiko provided insights on what it is and how to manage it.
What does food greed look like?
Food greed often goes unnoticed, disguising itself in thoughts such as:
- "I should finish this half of a peach, can't just throw it away."
- "Everything is so delicious! I'm full, but I want more."
- "There's so much variety here at the restaurant/wedding/all-inclusive. I've never tried this before, so I must try everything."
- "I'm so hungry! I'll have dinner now and polish it off with some tea."
- "I'll eat this cake because someone else will surely have taken a piece by tomorrow morning."
Causes of food greed
According to the nutrition expert, the first cause is physiological—people eat greedily because they are very hungry.
"Taking too long between meals, or having coffee instead of breakfast—of course, the body will compensate, and we end up eating hastily and more than necessary (compensation can't be ignored)," Svitlana said.
The second cause is curiosity and hedonism.
"This is the story of all-inclusive resorts or trips abroad, where you just want to try everything because it’s different. Or when food brings so much pleasure that bodily signals like 'I'm full, enough' are simply ignored," the dietitian explained.
The third cause is rooted in the past and personal experience.
The expert elaborated that often it traces back to the past: those who grew up in the less affluent 1980s-1990s may now want to compensate with indulgent eating, even beyond their needs. The habit of never wasting food also stems from those less prosperous childhoods, as parents taught that food should not be thrown away and everything on the plate should be finished. There’s also the belief that the delicacies might not be available tomorrow, so one should eat as much as possible now.
How to manage this habit
Svitlana advised that it’s possible and necessary to carefully work on this, depending on the underlying cause. Sometimes, it's essential to stop and tell yourself: "I have everything I need, and there will be more tomorrow."
Or: "You can't try everything in the world. Just try this one thing today." Or: "You know it's better to serve yourself and your children smaller portions and add more if needed. You can't finish everything for everyone, and you don't want to throw your efforts into trash!"
