I shared last week that cognitive dissonance is the uncomfortable feeling that comes from believing two conflicting ideas at the same time. How does this apply to what we eat, and to its effect on our health, both as individuals and as a nation?
Cognitive dissonance is when you think there must be something wrong with you since the harder you try, the more weight you gain and the worse your health gets.
Cognitive dissonance is when your pants get tighter and tighter the better job you do adhering to the nutrition guidelines on the boxes of the foods you buy.
Cognitive dissonance is not exactly when you don’t have time for breakfast so you down a large glass of orange juice, only to find that you feel a little queasy on the way to work a short time later. Cognitive dissonance is actually when you do it again the next day, exactly the same way.
Cognitive dissonance is when it shocks us to learn that so many of our blood sugars classify us as pre-diabetic, and that our weight puts two-thirds of us (including our children) into the categories of “overweight” and “obese.”
And cognitive dissonance is when you count and count your calories but it doesn’t seem to make a bit of difference.
Cognitive idssonance is when you drink diet soda and eat diet food the way you think you should, but it doesn’t make you feel more energetic or alert or healthy.
Cognitive dissonance is when you finally decide that enough is enough, so you decide on a bowl of Special K (what does that even mean?!) with skim milk for breakfast, find yourself starving by 10 am, and so feed your hunger with a couple of doughnuts from the nurses’ station or an entire sleeve of Oreos from the back of your desk drawer.
What, then, is the problem? The problem is that these strategies, despite their broad acceptance in our country, are not the solution. They are the problem. The solution is to eat real food.
——————————————————————————————
If you’ve never been on “Your Health is on Your Plate” before, and you’re not sure where to start, visit Lets Start at the Very Beginning to get a jumpstart on preventing diabetes and obesity in yourself and the ones you love!!
—————————————————————————————————————-
Then, scroll down and check out “A Milestone Celebration — Your Favorite Posts” to find a list of great blog entries!
—————————————————————————————————————-
Follow Dr Sukol on Twitter @RoxanneSukolMD.
To comment on this post, follow Dr Sukol on Facebook at Roxanne Breines Sukol.