What reinforces a behavior? Rewards! Rewards are an important part of habit formation. They make our actions feel good and satisfying!
The key to nourishing healthy eating habits is to make them so that they’re satisfyingly rewarding. And in a way that the satisfaction feels immediate. If an action doesn’t have some kind of positive reward or satisfying feeling attached to it, the likelihood of repeating that behavior is pretty low. And even though we know healthy actions have positive long-term rewards, like a decrease in risk of chronic disease, longevity, better mobility, etc, you can’t feel that reward right now. So, why isn’t this enough to make a health behavior stick??
Let’s look at an example:
We know brushing our teeth and good oral care is rewarding for the health of our mouth. But that reward of having a mouthful of healthy teeth in our older age isn’t something we can feel while brushing or flossing our teeth. Similarly, the consequences of not taking care of our oral hygiene are not immediate.
Why would someone not take care of their teeth when they know it increases their risk of having a mouth full of plaque and gingivitis? Because as humans our brains sway in a direction towards immediate gratification. And because whatever you’re doing now feels better than whatever gum disease or cavity that might show up later. Brushing teeth might feel like a dreaded task when you use a toothpaste flavor you don’t like and it leaves a nasty aftertaste. But when you find a toothpaste you enjoy that leaves your mouth feeling fresh and good, that brushing experience becomes immediately rewarding.
So, when it comes to making a healthy eating habit stick, the key is making sure there’s some kind of immediate rewarding pleasure and gratification that comes with it. This keeps you going forward and repeating healthy eating habits while delayed rewards (such as long term heart health, higher energy levels and good gut health) move in a positive direction in the background.
Don’t underestimate the power and importance of allowing yourself pleasure and satisfaction at most of your meals and snacks.
Discovering the satisfaction factor in the eating experience is crucial to continuing healthy eating habits. When your food choices are strictly based on trying to shrink your body or food choices are solely based on how “healthy” they are, feeling satisfied after eating is unlikely.
For example, lets say you make an attempt to eat healthfully by eating a kale salad because it’s something you believe you should be eating. But you don’t enjoy kale. So that eating experience is probably going to be pretty miserable. And because that satisfaction piece of eating is missing, it’s likely going to leave you wanting. And it’s likely you’ll want to raid the cabinets in search of something else to eat. But when you find the enjoyment in eating foods you like, the satisfaction and reward you feel will be a powerful driving force in the desire to continue healthful eating. Not to mention it will leave you feeling content. When you allow yourself to fill that need for satisfaction at most of your meals and snacks, your overall contentment will increase.
So what to do?
Eat the foods you like and enjoy! How often do you ask yourself what you want to eat versus what you should eat? Before a meal, pause and ask yourself what sounds good. And if you have trouble figuring out what you truly like to eat or if you struggle with this aspect of eating or maybe you feel like “if I allow myself to eat pleasurable foods, I won’t stop,” I get it and I’m here for you!
If dieting or restricting food or strictly controlling the types of food you eat has been a significant part of your life, it might be necessary to reclaim your right to the enjoyment and pleasure of food. Knowing what you like to eat (and don’t like to eat) and believing you have the right to enjoy the food you like are key factors in discovering a lifetime of positive and enjoyable eating. If you feel overwhelmed or frustrated or curious at any level about finding true satisfaction in food and you want to know more, I work with clients virtually throughout the US providing nutrition coaching and guidance throughout their health journey. Reach out and we can chat about how we can meet your needs!
How do you make healthy eating habits rewarding?
Below is a list of examples of how you could make a healthy eating habit rewarding outside of finding the pleasure and satisfaction from your eating experiences. And remember when you identify a reward with an action, whether it be external or internal it’s crucial that it leaves your emotions feeling positive. It’s these positive emotions that help you continue and expand your behavior.
- Weekly grocery trips – Pick up a bouquet of flowers before heading to the checkout counter.
- Meal planning – Sip on a glass of wine or tea with a fav reality show playing in the background.
- Meal prepping – Go for a leisure walk or take a bubble bath afterward.
- Cooking – A lot of the reward from cooking flows into the dining experience. Simply enjoying a meal can feel rewarding. And if cooking feels like more of a chore, what could make it more rewarding? Preparing memorable foods from growing up, family recipes, having fun with new recipes, trying recipes from other cultures? If you have family at home, use it as an experience to connect with them. Or maybe the reward is sitting down with family to a meal and talking about the day.
- Dining – Don’t underestimate your environment. While sometimes life forces meals to be eaten on the go or in front of the computer, as much as you can, eat your meals in an environment you enjoy. Whether that be outside on a sunny day, in an uncluttered dining area, a comfortable chair under a blanket, or with other people you enjoy talking to and laughing with.
A note on why food as a reward is problematic.
When food is placed on a “special” pedestal or even when it’s limited to “only on special occasions,” it heightens the value of that food because it’s untouchable or off-limits until it’s “deserved” or until that special moment happens. It makes it extra special to where it becomes more enticing and more desirable. The moment you tell yourself you can’t have something or you can’t have it until you earn it (as a reward), you’ll only want and crave it more. This increases the chances of eating more of that food later on.
Other Motivating Rewards for Healthy Eating Habits:
Bring awareness to other areas of your life that benefit from your healthy eating habit. And note how they make you feel. So the next time you consider repeating the behavior, you can remind yourself of what positive feelings come with it.
- Improved Mood?
- More Energy?
- Better sleep?
- Less stress?
- Improved digestion?
These immediate little bits of rewards are reinforcement for continuing a behavior. And each time you recognize the reward or praise yourself with a little pat on the back, you give yourself the motivation to maintain the behavior while long-term rewards build over time.
This is the fourth and final post of the How to Make Healthy Eating Habits That Last Series. If you haven’t read the other three parts, I highly recommend that you do. And when it comes to making changes to healthy eating habits, the info in this series is just the tip of the iceberg. If you’re not sure where to begin or would like a little guidance on your healthy journey at any degree, schedule a free 15 minute phone call and we can chat more about it!
And if you want more, I created a self-care guide on How To Create Healthy Eating Habits to Improve Health & Your Relationship with Food. And it’s FREE! Just click here and it’ll be delivered straight to your inbox!
