What Motivates Our Food Choices?

Have you ever noticed that different people tend to have a food "style?" For example, I grew up with the "meat and potatoes," and "casseroles" style of meals. Some of the food "styles" I have run across are: very little meat, but not vegetarian; strictly vegetarian; heavy on the meat- no veggies; no processed foods; pretty much all processed foods; lots of fat- as in everything fried and greasy; mainly casseroles; heavy on the carbohydrates (potatoes, rice, breads, pastas, etc.); no dairy, but not vegan; doesn't need food to survive; must have food to survive (know any "hangry" people?); and sometimes a mix of several styles. Oh, and don't forget the "food snobs."

For our family, we tended to be a bit of a mixture of styles. We like trying new foods; we like meat; we like a variety of ethnic foods; we like dairy; we use processed and un-processed foods; we love bread; we love desserts (but apparently I'm the only one that craves chocolate...); we (or maybe just "I") have tried the no meat thing temporarily. And, most of the foods we make are made from scratch, although Jason occasionally begs for instant mac-n-cheese, or instant turkey stuffing from a box, and the like. We are far from being a "no processed foods," or a "whole foods only" family.

Little Miss Pumpkin helping to make Christmas cookies.

For myself, I would admit to being a bit of a food snob.

I read the ingredient labels on the food items I buy; I prefer made-from-scratch to instant, boxed foods; I prefer lesser processed foods in most cases, especially with cheese; I prefer made-from-scratch to store-made fresh or frozen, usually; I don't like fast-food hardly at all; and I want my desserts and chocolate to taste amazing! Over the past few years, I think Jason and I have become a little food-snobbish together. One of our mottos is: if it doesn't taste good, it's not worth the calories to keep eating it, even if we made it, paid for it, it was free food, etc. Our "tastes good" meters, however, differ greatly at times!

But what motivates our food choices? What motivates whether we eat lots of processed carbs, or starches, or no vegetables? What motivates our food "style?"

I know for some people, allergies and sensitivities determines their food choices. For some folks, it's all about how the food tastes, and their personal taste preferences. Others want their food to look very attractive- pretty. For some people, I think it is based off of what they are comfortable making. Other folks, I think, stick to what they grew up with- another comfort led choice. Sometimes the food choices are all about what they have time for, hence the instant, fast, on-the-go choices.

Since having a baby (by the way, having a baby can change the way you think!), I have once again put some thought into our food style, and how it is helping, or hindering, us and how it could effect Little Pumpkin over the years. We have always had bread on hand; always had rice and pasta in the cupboard; always had potatoes hanging out; usually some form of processed carb-related snack was on the shelf; and always Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate, 60% cacao, was in the house! Pretty much every meal had a starch or processed carb, be it pasta, rice, couscous, potatoes, bread, etc. And I started wondering why we felt that we always had to have a side of carbs/starch, or why half of our meals were pasta or rice based. We were choosing to have the common carbs (bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, etc.) every meal because that is what was "normal" to us. But, it wasn't necessarily beneficial. Unlike some of our friends, Jason and I have no trouble gaining weight. So choosing to eat lots of carbs/starches was not for health purposes. We have both wished to lose weight, and don't find it easy.

When Little Pumpkin got to the point of eating solid foods, I really began to think about what food style, and habits, did I want her to grow up with. And what food cravings, and health struggles, did I want to spare her from, if I could.

Getting ready to try yummy avocado way back at 6 months old.

Back in the spring, my sister, Katie, Jason, and myself did the "Hard-boiled Egg Diet." (You can see the meal plan we followed here.) While we found the diet effective in losing weight, and help to re-set our "portion meter" (feeling full with smaller food portions), it was just that: a diet. It wasn't a lifestyle change that continued. It was a food plan we followed for a set amount of time, and after that time, we all slowly went right back into our old eating habits. I was already aware of the "diet" snare, and that in order for something to be effective long-term, it has to be a life choice; a long-term commitment that you are motivated to keep.

Since eating only hard-boiled eggs for the rest of your life is not considered healthy, I started thinking of non-diet choices (people always dread diets anyway) that we could make, incorporate, and effectively use long-term. One of my brothers-in-law effectively uses the Keto diet, so I looked that up as a possibility. I didn't do extensive research, but it looked like it might not be the best meal plan for a growing child. And, I really didn't want to make two sets of food: one for us following strict guidelines, and one for Pumpkin that incorporated everything she needed. After talking to Jason about it, we both finally decided that we could drastically cut back on the big carbohydrates and starches, work on portion control, increase fresh fruits and vegetables, and reduce the dessert in-take. This was a food style that would benefit us all: we aren't cutting anything out completely, and Pumpkin is still getting all the food groups. It is not meant to be a diet with a start and end date; it is meant to be a lifestyle change. A change in food choices.

How does our new food "style" look in real life? We don't eat bread every day; instead of taking a sandwich, made with bread, to work for lunch, Jason takes leftovers. We don't have a side of potatoes or pasta at every meal; we just have a meat and a vegetable. We are trying to make less pasta and rice-based main dishes. We try to eat a salad as a meal several times a week. We don't keep processed carb-type snacks around all the time; instead, we are trying to keep fresh fruits and veggies stocked. Does this mean we cut out certain foods completely, such as potato chips, crackers, cereals, etc.? No, we just don't eat them as often, and don't keep them stocked in the pantry. On the dessert side, whenever I make a dessert we freeze at least half of it, instead of leaving it out and eating it every day until it's gone. Are we 100% teetotalers with this new food plan? No. It's a work in progress, and since we aren't cutting anything out completely, we still eat the foods we are suckers for (i.e. bread, chocolate), we just eat them less and not every single day.

So what motivates our food choices? Previously, it was what we were comfortable with, and food we loved, though not completely beneficial in the amounts we were eating. I can eat half of a loaf of bread fresh out of the oven, or half a pan of O'Henry Bars. It was also lack of self-control; that can't be denied. Now, our new motivation is desiring a healthier lifestyle for our Little Pumpkin, and ourselves. And taking hold of ourselves and fostering the discipline of self-control; a trait that we want, and need, to teach our daughter, not only through instruction, but also by example. If making a food style change can help our daughter to grow up healthy, and not struggle as much with less-than-healthy food habits, then it would be completely selfish of us not to do so.

As a side note: I am aware that there are health benefits from eating foods with carbohydrates and starch, and that it is most commonly what the body uses to fuel energy.