How to Stop Food FOMO (fear of missing out)
#SugarBalancedLiving
Do you have food FOMO? FOMO = fear of missing out. If you've ever had anxiety about what food to eat at a party, been pleased with your healthy pic before seeing the delicious looking junk food your friends are eating at dinner, or eaten as much as you could for worrying about when you could eat that food again, you've experienced food FOMO. Here are proven steps to help stop that food anxiety and improve your relationship with what you eat!
Have you ever noticed how unfair it feels when you discover other people enjoying foods and drinks that you’ve pushed away, struggled, and worked on reducing in your diet?
A.K.A: FOOD FOMO… FOMO = Fear of missing out!
Well, you’re not alone!
Whether you’re temptingly disappointed at the sight of co-workers snacking on trays of office treats, saddened at a coffee shop watching customers order your fave frappe or muffin, or grumpy hanging with friends at a restaurant watching them order pizza while you work on that salad, ‘food FOMO’ can show up anytime and anywhere.
While ‘fear of missing out’ is often considered a term for the reason people are addicted to social media or referred when missing a fun event, I believe ‘fomo’ has a very interesting connection to the way we approach food. As people and humans, we very much dislike the feeling that we’ve missed something important, fun, or delicious.
It's fascinating the hold and emotional power food has on us.
If you see people around you eating ice cream, pizza rolls, or snacking on chips and you’re not, you feel deprived. You feel like you should be eating that too, and you’re missing out on something… basically, food fomo. To make it worse, sometimes friends, family or even food companies can become food pushers, insisting that we’re missing out on something great if we don’t become active food participants.
In this modern world we live in, there is a constant stream of visuals showing us vast amounts of foods and drinks, advertised as life changing-ly delicious, things that will bring you joy and happiness, that we can find everywhere from supermarkets to even office kitchens, so we’re compelled to partake.
But, we all know deep down that these foods and drinks advertised aren’t the only way to celebrate or bring us joy. All these cakes, burgers, and drinks will do is hit us with sugar and refined carbs and cause negative effects (like weight gain, acne, hormone imbalance, even pre-diabetes, etc) on not just our body’s health, but also our mental health.
Unfortunately what I've described is a very, very common mindset, and a dilemma that so many men and women who ‘work to focus on wellness’ struggle with constantly!
What Is Food FOMO And What Is Its Connection To Food Obsessions?
To stop the “FOMO” mindset, we firstly need to get to the core understanding of the issue. Let’s dive deeper, shall we?!
Be it missing out on food or not, a ‘Fear of Missing Out’ is something ingrained in our brains, that every human will experience and wrestle with at some point in their life - no matter the areas. So, the question we need to ask ourselves is, why does happen?
It all leads back to our 'individual' survival when were a part of a group dating back to caveman times. To roam and thrive in small groups, ‘knowing what’s up with everything’ was of the utmost importance.
Our ancestors developed this out of the necessity to be aware of a new food source, needing to be aware of a new source of water, needing to be aware of threats for both ourselves and the larger tribal groups we belonged to. Missing out on something could mean life or death.
For this reason, our brains like to focus our attention on and respond quickly to the idea of missing out. However, it’s the 21st century and usually, these things aren’t of the same importance, but our brains are still specialized in not being left out.
Feeling left out of “the group” causes many individuals to fire off a stress response in the brain, which is that ‘FOMO feeling’ you get.
In other words, FOMO is a legitimate psychological distress.
According to Mintel’s Healthy Dining Report, about one in 10 consumers will feel like they’re missing out when they order healthy items at restaurants, and nearly one out of every four US adults agreed they look for healthy options, but often order an unhealthy meal, out of fear that their healthier choice will be no match in satisfaction when compared to a junk food option.
Along with brain reactions to ‘ancestral FOMO’, another reason for these emotions toward food and drinks could be down to addiction; FOOD ADDICTION aka sugar addiction!
Sugar addiction is literally an addiction to foods: blood sugar levels spiking foods and foods that act like sugar in your body, including refined carbs like pretzels and pizza, added sugars like lollipops and cupcakes, and sweeteners like maple syrup and agave.
What may seem like at first a joke-like sentiment of feeling that you can't see yourself living without a crusty piece of bread, a bag of chips, or ice cream, can be a sign of food addiction and can lead to not just weight gain, but also eventually to all kinds of health problems and diseases.
Junk food is addictive in the same way that heroin or cocaine is addictive.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that table sugar and high sugar, high glycemic foods are addictive.
In a study conducted by David Ludwig and his colleagues at Harvard, it was shown that that foods that raise blood sugar even more than table sugar such as white flour, white potatoes, and refined starch, have a high glycemic index, and trigger a region in the brain “nucleus accumbens” which is the area in the brain that is ground zero for a drug abuse addiction.
Foods that spike your blood sugar are addictive. They don’t even have to be traditional ‘sweets’.
According to a study that used the Yale Food Addiction Scale, while only 5% of the population suffers from clinical food addiction, there is a very high number of individuals who may not meet food addiction criteria, but have a strong propensity to addictive behaviors around food. Trust me, ‘food FOMO’ is common!
Lastly, the fear of missing out related to food can also stem from negative yo-yo dieting habits, aka on and off dieting.
If you have that negative dieter’s mindset of restriction, like ‘eat now because come Monday restriction of your next diet is coming’, well, it can form a real mental belief of food scarcity even in a western society. This leads to more anxiety and disastrous decisions when faced with food and drink choices.
However, luckily, we are not doomed to feel like FOMO failures forever. As someone who suffered from this exact thing, I can tell you, it is curable, and we can remove this unsettling nightmare for our life, helping us make smarter choices, creating a healthy body and happier mind!
Here are the 7 ways I was able to eat and order with more mindfulness, crush those negative FOMO feelings from forming in my mind, and feel more centered and content when a food FOMO moment hits us:
1. Keep Your Blood Sugar Levels Stable
When you’re ravenous all day, it’s nearly impossible to make sensible eating decisions.
Counteract this negative tendency to overeat by eating well balanced meals or snacks full of fiber, fat, and protein.
The good fats, fiber, and protein will stabilize your appetite, and help keep your energy in check reducing cravings during the day. And be sure to grab a quick healthy and semi-filling snack before you go out to eat with friends.
Great choices include nutrient-rich options like eggs, protein-filled yogurt, a healthy fat-filled avocado, or even some turkey slices.
2. Use The Power Of Self-talk
You may or may not realize it, but our minds are seriously powerful and we are constantly having an inner dialogue all throughout our daily lives. This inner voice or for lack of a better word ‘self-talk’ includes both conscious thoughts as well as our unconscious beliefs and can have a very strong influence on your mindset.
So, why not harness this power, eh?!
If you start to feel panic-stricken, are hit with a moment of being drawn into something or any emotion connected to food, stop, get real, and talk with yourself. Tell yourself: ‘don’t fret, you’ll have X (pizza, cookies, latte, etc) at some point again, just not at this time, the food or drink isn’t going anywhere’ — so of course, you don’t need to consume it this minute.
Tell your wonderful self: “I can have it some other time”
Self-talk is incredibly empowering and is the most effective way to reprogram our mindset to develop healthier thinking.
For example, a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that instead of telling yourself "no" simply switching your response to "maybe later" can lessen the magical image around that food.
Furthermore, the study found that people who said "I can have it some other time" both didn't eat the ‘negative food’ and reduced their consumption of that food for a week afterward.
When around foods and drinks, often our brain’s instinctive sneaky lil’ ego section of the mind will take control and we will be left feeling out of control. In those moments, please just remind yourself that YOU and only YOU are in control, not a plate of cookies or a side of fries.
Act as if every day is a small incremental step forward, every time you practice this self-talk and positive affirmation, you’ll be strengthening your brain into more positive outcomes.
3. Practice Breathing
Imagine this scenario for a sec. You’re at a restaurant with friends, laughing away and you’re stoked because you made the smart and healthy choice of ordering your favorite filling and fueling healthy fat and protein-packed grain bowl until suddenly the food arrives, and all your friends ordered pasta and bread rolls - suddenly you become stricken with food anxiety.
Your mouth starts to water, or maybe your heart rate escalates, or stomach rumbles. Everyone’s food anxiety is unique.
And… there you have it, all wellness goals are chucked out the window and you want nothing more than to eat that pasta, all of a sudden feel like you have eaten in decades.
Whether you suffer from sweaty palms or mouth-watering and starving belly rumbles, recognize what symptoms happen to you during a ‘food FOMO’ moment. When you experience these symptoms, I want you to step away from the situation. Temporarily remove yourself, change your environment, and take a moment to take some deep breaths.
Be it stepping away from the table or buffet line up, to head to the restroom or outside, take a couple of deep breaths to calm your nervous system, and help you make rational decisions.
4. Shift Your Focus
Flip yo’ mindset from ‘look what I can’t have’ to ‘look what I CAN have’! Remember people, healthy food isn’t ‘rabbit food’, there is a wide variety of tasty and flavorful dishes that will satisfy even more than junk foods. So please folks, remember that and get excited about it.
Also, if you’re eating with family or friends, use that as an opportunity to take the emphasis off food. Focusing on other fun activities and conversations will make it way easier to take your mind of mac and cheese.
This should help take the power away from food being the central focus of your life.
5. Find An Alternative
Sometimes if you really love a particular food, be it salty chips to sugary ice cream, the taste of junk food that you love can occasionally become overwhelmingly oh-so-tempting, even with your mental mindset practices.
Luckily though, even when temptation can become too much, we still have a great tool from preventing you from succumbing to those nasty cravings and food anxieties.
Healthy junk food alternatives can hit the spot and keep you eating healthy and feeling good! If you want to find some really easy, tasty, and simple healthy and sugar-free delicious recipes you can check out my recipe section here.
6. ‘Move Through It’ and Embrace the Discomfort
Learning to be comfortable with discomfort.
Most people like to avoid discomfort and maybe even run away as fast as possible at the first sign of it. Yet this can become the biggest self-limiting habit and is one of the largest reasons why many people can’t change their behaviors.
Imagine if when we experience grief or sadness, we sat down with all those yucky feelings, without fighting them (basically in this case the idea of eating that pizza) and let those feelings pass and wash away like clothing in a stream.
Suddenly you’ll realize that this anxiety and sadness isn’t soul-wrenching, isn’t torture, but is simply an emotion with no purpose. Being sad about not eating sweets, processed flour, and fried stuff that just negatively hurts your health and that you didn’t even think about until you just saw someone order it or watched on a commercial? It's kind of pointless.
Come on folks: Ask yourself if you are really missing out? Is your survival under threat? If ‘NO’ then there is no reason to worry. And if you’re feeling this because you don’t want to be a party pooper? Remember that connecting isn’t about food and trust me I don’t think that what you order makes or breaks a friendship.
Focus on what you want for yourself.
7. Drop The Belief That Only Thin People Can Eat Dessert
Wellness doesn't discriminate!
Whether you’re thin or overweight, a healthy diet is crucial to living a vibrant life. Too often so many people believe that thin people can eat whatever they want and even may state that they can’t wait to be at their target weight so they can finally eat what they want - from desserts to many slices of white bread.
But, please, let’s wash away this belief, and remember that wellness is a practice, even if you’re thin, you still shouldn't lead an unhealthy diet.
A University of Arizona study suggests that high-calorie junk and sugary foods could cause “metabolic dysregulation” such as high insulin levels or inflammation, even if you’re thin, and may even increase one’s risk of cancer.
Bodyweight is not the best indicator of internal well-being - diet is. When it comes to your health, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. You are what you eat.
According to research from the 2017 Society of General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting Dr. Tiwet said at least 27 common medical issues that a poor diet/obesity is known to cause or is highly suspected to contribute to are:
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Alzheimer’s Disease/Dementia
Coronary Heart Disease
Stroke
Gall Bladder Disease
Osteoarthritis
Sleep Apnea
Respiratory Problems
Endometrial Cancer
Breast Cancer
Prostate Cancer
Colon Cancer
Dyslipidemia (an abnormal amount of lipids, or fat, in the blood)
Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (liver inflammation)
Insulin Resistance
Asthma
Hyperuricemia
Reproductive Hormone Abnormalities
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Impaired Fertility
Adult Onset Diabetes
Depression
Anxiety
Low energy levels/fatigue
Tooth decay
Acne
Digestive health issues
However, eating a balanced diet full of protein, plenty of fibrous veggies and healthy fats with a moderated allowed treat food everyone once in a while is the best way to go for a happy, healthy, sugar balanced diet.
Plus, may I just say that if we keep on restricting your diet without focusing on creating a sustainable diet full of the right healthy foods, instead just focusing on calories in calories out and just dream of losing weight so finally eat all you dream of, this will just lead to overeating by accompanied guilt and then further dieting. Um… hello, yo-yo dieting cycle.
Yaya… You Made It!
If you struggle to turn down “indulgent” food or drinks, or turn down invites from friends to go out because you don't want to be left out… listen up, you no longer need to fear missing out on foods!
By utilizing my strategies to controlling and avoiding food anxiety, you should hopefully by now be ready to crush your ‘food FOMO’ and start heading forward onto a journey of food freedom, where you can remaining in complete control around food and drinks people around you are eating and instead enjoy with complete liberation the good healthy choices you pick.
I want you to take pleasure in saying NO to all those junky foods because by saying NO to junk foods you’re saying YES to you and your body and mind's wellness.
When I personally decided to reduce sugar and stopped eating processed foods for my health, I started by wrestling a lot with my mindset and comments friends literally feeling sorry for me. But, I came to the epiphany that what exactly was I missing out… health struggles?!
As time passed I let my mindset’s approach to food change positively, radically and saw the transformation within my body, looking healthier almost glowing, and feeling more energized than ever, as health aliments faded into distant memories, and let me tell you this… my healthier foods taster better and better as the days went by.
Before you go… if you feel like you’ll need extra support with junk foods addictive pull… don’t be afraid to search it out. Like we talked about earlier… blood sugar levels wrecking foods are actually addictive.
I very personally know how sugar and carb addiction feels, the painful effects, bloating, endless cravings, and crashes, as I’ve been through it myself. But I conquered it, and you can too and you can come out the other side healthier and happier.
This is why I know and care so much about this issue.
Don’t just keep asking yourself: why am I craving sugar? how do I stop it? Take action… and let's do it together.
I'm here to help… get started by checking out my sugar reduction tips in my post: When You Should Stop Eating Sugar + How to Do It. Plus for even more effective and actionable support, I’ve put together some seriously useful and easy hacks on cutting back sugar for good.
Check out my FREE ‘Ultimate Guide to Crushing Your Sugar Cravings’ Downloadable Guide.
Get started on effortlessly breaking your sugar reliance/addiction for good with help + support. AND, most importantly, while maintaining a healthy balance between your mind and your body - because low-sugar living shouldn’t feel like deprivation.