When food becomes a hobby

What is happening with food in our society? I find myself increasingly asking myself and others whether food is a hobby. That moment when there is some spare time to fill, you cannot find your creative mind, and you mindlessly walk to the kitchen and take some food out of the fridge (or a spoonful of almond butter in my case!).

When we did not have larders full of snacks and fridges bursting with the latest healthy product on the market, we might have read a book or listened to a radio show, or played the piano, perhaps.

Or what about your favourite Sunday morning activity, a basket full of the freshest bread to dip in a still-bubbling baked camembert? Your best-loved box set and your partner. All savoured under a duvet with a glowing fire warming your toes. Eating has become the hobby – tantalising our taste buds is now what we do to entertain ourselves, to combat boredom and fill spare time.

Many people talk of emotional eating. This is a separate problem to address. There is sometimes a need to delve deep and find emotional connections to overeating, but how about the simple reason that much of what we buy in the supermarket tastes good?! What about if you just enjoy the taste of food? Long forgotten is the purpose of food – to fuel the body, sustain us, and give us the energy we need. As food becomes more accessible, faster, and tastier, we spend more time sitting and need less fuel than ever before. It is well known that many food and beverage brands put a lot of resources into the exploration of what makes food palatable – not just palatable but delectable, scrumptious, 'cannot stop eating it' tasty. When they find the exact combination of ingredients, the product forms and is no doubt marketed with many health benefits.

I believe we must completely relook at our relationships with food. I once mentioned to a friend that a great love of mine is butter spread thickly on a slice of artisan bread. She asked me whether it is the butter that I really want. The saltiness combined with the creamy texture of quality butter. I think maybe she is right. I use the bread as a carrier. Whilst I will never dismiss the smell of freshly baked bread, the actual bread itself… well, much like a chip or a cracker, it is a carrier for a tastier piece of food.

When I explore this, I notice that of all the foods I choose to eat, the tasty food is the food that my body needs, whilst the carrier has nothing for me in a way of nutrition. This gives rise to the possibility that I can continue my hobby whilst benefiting my body. Say I switch the hummus-topped Ryvita for crunchy carrot sticks dipped in hummus, or I have eggs and beans without the toast in the morning. When food tastes good, most of us want more of it, regardless of emotion.

I am far from a perfect eater. I am a massive foodie, and I wonder regularly why we eat too much and why we no longer eat to fuel ourselves but to satisfy our taste buds. I asked myself recently whether it is OK to correlate watching a film at the cinema with a big bag of sweets or a box of sugary popcorn. Is it OK that I view this as a treat? I wonder if it really is a treat. I thought about whether the film brings enough joy on its own without the sugary accompaniments. If not, maybe I should explore that and consider whether there is a better use of my time that would bring me enough pleasure without a need to boost it.

There are many things in life that fill my cup, for example, sitting in front of the fire with a book I enjoy or walking in nature with my family. I am going to try and use the creative part of my brain whenever I have spare time to fill it with something that may take a little more effort than walking to the fridge. If I choose an activity and need to enhance it with food, I am going to find something else that brings enough pleasure. Failing that, I am going to find a good hypnotherapist!

Do you resonate with this?

That moment when your hand is already on the fridge door before your brain has caught up. When you're searching for flavour but also for something else – comfort, stimulation, ease?

Techniques to explore this dynamic 

If you're curious, here are a few gentle practices that might help you begin to explore and change this dynamic:

The pause and ask

Next time you feel the pull toward the kitchen, pause for five seconds and ask, “What do I really need right now?” It might be food. You might also crave company, movement, stimulation, or rest. Journal and keep a note of the deep longing vs the surface level behaviour.

Like, dislike, indifferent

One simple technique I often share is to pay attention to the activities in your day and notice how they land in your body. Which ones feel good and effortless? Perhaps you feel eager and excited to start (Like)? Which ones generate no feeling at all (Indifferent)? Which ones feel draining and take a lot of effort (Dislike)? When we live a valued, purposeful life, there are always activities that feel hard in the moment, but we finish with a good feeling, like we’ve done something worthwhile. Check in with your life, making sure there is an even spread. When you reject the dislike/indifferent activities, you might be living without purpose. Over time, this leads to dissatisfaction and a seeking. Too many activities that you dislike can leave your entire life a chore, so eating becomes your only pleasure.

Bucket list

Traditionally, a bucket list is all the things you want to do before you “kick the bucket” – often big, extravagant activities that you may or may not end up doing. How about you switch this to a comfort catalogue? A list of small, enjoyable things that you can easily do when you have spare time. When you find yourself with nothing to do, look to your handwritten collection of activities that nourish your brain and heart. These things might take slightly more effort than walking to the fridge, but they’ll leave you fuller for longer.