In today’s society, there seems to be an ever increasing trend to associate bad foods with entertainment and pleasure.  We have all done it.  After a stressful week at work, we cannot wait to de-stress by going out with friends, relaxing or having some quality time to yourself.

Our bad eating habits are fed by relentless advertisements, peer pressure and cultural influences all linking unhealthy food to entertaining yourself.  This is a habit we need to break as it can become an addiction where we don't even realise that we are addicted. 

Not only do the bad foods contain additives that give us a short term high, but also the relationship we have created where our leisure time needs unhealthy food to accompany us. For example, when you watch a football game either at the stadium or in the comfort of your own home, you will eat a hotdog (average 225g hotdog is 653 calories) or cheeseburger (328 calories) washed down with a few pints of ale  (3 pints of ale 653 calories).  Or when you plan to hit the town, the common habit is to order some take away beforehand to enjoy with friends.  A Chinese sweet and sour pork with egg fried rice and prawn crackers totals up to 716 calories. We all do it without thinking, but we are unconsciously associating good times with a high calorie count. 

To make a stark comparison, we are slowly becoming a nation of Pavlov’s dogs, where instead of the bell ringing to make us salivate we have the leaflet through the letterbox of a 2 for 1 offer at the local pizza parlour. This bond between good times and bad foods has become very strong in all of us and there is a way of testing this.

For instance, if you were to go to a cinema to watch the latest blockbuster film and instead of serving you popcorn (375g large sweet popcorn is 1800 calories) and coke (1200ml 328 calories) they were offering salads (average 150g Chicken Salad 300 calories), fruits and herbal teas, what would your knee jerk reaction be?

If it is one of horror or disappointment at this twisted reversal of our ritual of indulging in the 'normal' foods, then consider yourself as being fully converted.

Part of the problem with this is that we often forget how delicious healthy food can be and this is partly due to the psychological imbedding we have entrenched in ourselves that in order to truly enjoy our leisure experience we need bad foods. But imagine the long term benefits to your health if you were to replace this habit with healthy foods every time you were to entertain yourself so that the bond would become good times with good foods.

A new scheme is currently being trialled by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) involving a number of food companies which indicate the calorie counts on their menus and leaflets.  According to Tim Smith, chief executive of the FSA, the emerging evidence stipulates that the more aware people are of the calories, the more likely they are to avoid the high-calorific choices.
Let us hope that this is the beginning of the end of the association between having a good time whilst eating bad foods and next time you decide to choose a food with your chosen leisure, remember the effect on your long term health!   

Angela Sargunan

Esteem Fitness – Personal Training in London and the South East