We would argue that focusing on food shouldn’t always be interpreted in a negative light. Some individuals may benefit from paying more attention to the types and quantities of food they’re eating to complement their health, performance, and longevity goals regardless of energy intake. Ultimately it comes down to achieving a unique balance and finding a “sweet spot” where your personal degree of food focus compliments your life, but doesn’t consume and control you.
In reference to the slides above, there are various strategies that can be implemented to mitigate food focus. You may recognise that some of these tendencies are more in your control than others! For example, following more of a “set” nutrition plan can help to reduce decision fatigue and the time spent brainstorming the “perfect” food and meal combinations to achieve your macronutrient targets. Committing to a solid plan can also lead to less time thinking about food and a reduction in screen time dedicated towards calorie counting apps. Also, remember that you are generally in complete control of your environment. If you find yourself strolling through food-dense locations or following particular “foodie” pages on social media, then consider limiting your exposure to these to reduce your food focus.
Bear in mind that undergoing a prolonged deficit and pushing the body past a comfortable “set point” will inevitably cause an individual to start dedicating more of their cognitive power and time to food. From an evolutionary standpoint this is fundamental for survival, as the body senses chronic energy deprivation and thus intelligently responds. Therefore, rather than trying to avoid this natural human instinct, we encourage those who are experiencing food focus to be aware of the signs, so they can manage them to the best of their ability. In particular, this is prudent in the recovery or reverse phase after a period of dieting when a weight loss goal has been accomplished.
Swipe through the above to determine where you land on the “food focus scale”. Let us know what you would define as a sweet spot for having the perfect degree of food focus?