An estimated 45 million Americans go on a diet every single year, according to the Boston Medical Center. And yet, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly three in four U.S. adults are overweight or obese.
Clearly, diet culture isn't working. But what if there was a way to coax our brain into eating a healthier diet?
Newsweek spoke to Chartered Psychologist, Kimberley Wilson, to find out.
"Often our nutritional habits have been set from the age of two or three," Wilson, who also has a master's degree in nutrition, told Newsweek. "The way we eat is incredibly stable—the flavors we turn to, the textures, the brands. So, unlike a habit that you acquired in the last couple of years, changing a nutritional habit can be much more of a challenge."
The longer you have had a habit, the more automatic it becomes, and the less your brain has to think about it. "Your brain loves not having to think about things, because it saves energy," Wilson said. "Changing a habit, particularly a well ingrained one, takes an enormous amount of energy. So, fundamentally resistance and difficulty are built into the cycle of change."
In other words, if you're struggling to stick to new habits, that doesn't mean that you're not motivated or that you're lazy—it means that your brain is putting in the effort to change. "The longer you stick with it, the more habitual it becomes, the easier it becomes, and eventually it's a habit you don't have to think about," Wilson said.
Going into change with this mindset can help us stick to new habits for longer, but what else do we need to do to actually see positive change?
"We know that trying to build new pathways takes energy, but it also takes nutrients," Wilson said. "If you're trying to plant a seed that's going to grow into a new idea, or a new way of seeing yourself or the world, then you need to make sure you've set up your soil. This also means trying not to approach big changes when you're underslept, undernourished or having to deal with some other really big challenge."
Even with a good foundation, it can be easy to lose sight of your progress and focus on the negatives. Therefore, Wilson also recommends tracking your progress. "Your brain is so likely to switch to autopilot and cut corners so tracking things can provide real world, tangible feedback that your brain can't ignore," she said.
"If you've written down your progress, then you've got proof and evidence that you can come back to and your brain is much more likely to remember it. And this can help you gain more confidence in yourself that you can carry forward."
Wilson discusses these ideas on her podcast Stronger Minds, and will be talking more about our diet and brain health at the New Scientist Live event, which will take place on Saturday 12 October and Sunday 13 October at ExCeL London and can be streamed online.
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