by Mike Critelli,
As Americans, we are in a never-ending battle with those who try to make us dependent on and addicted to unhealthy foods and beverages. Last week, we discussed a small step to gain better control over our dietary habits: cutting back on unhealthy toppings, sauces, and dressings.
Today, we propose a completely different small step to help reduce unhealthy food and beverage consumption at the margins.
Ubiquity of Unhealthy Options
Unhealthy foods and beverages are more ubiquitous than ever. They are now available in places that didn’t carry them just a few decades ago—sporting goods stores, office supply stores, retail clothing stores, and even public libraries.
Fast food outlets like Starbucks have also realized their biggest unrealized revenue opportunity is to expand their drive-through and takeout services. That shift surprised me, particularly because Howard Schultz, Starbucks’ founder, modeled his stores on Italian cafes that served as “third places” for people to socialize, work, and engage in reading and writing.
Over the last 25 years, Starbucks—like many fast food outlets—became a quick stop, often a place where food and beverages are picked up en route to work, rather than a “third place” where customers linger for an hour or more.
Replacing Habits with Enjoyable Activities
What this means is that we need to build enjoyable and sustainable routines that wean us from unhealthy foods and beverages. We are most likely to eat when:
Driving
Sitting at a table or office desk
Lounging at home
Attending long, boring meetings with snacks provided
Everyone has a favorite activity that can replace sitting and eating. In my case, it’s listening to audiobooks. For others, it might be listening to music while walking, visiting a museum or art gallery, or hiking with a friend.
The Role of Social Influence
Social activity can either help or hurt our efforts to move away from unhealthy eating and drinking. One of the most important steps in redesigning daily routines is to assess how friends and family influence our habits.
My mom used to send us outside to play, especially since we lived next to a playground until I was 10 years old. At our summer cottage, we had a badminton net on the front lawn, which we used extensively.
When raising our own children, we lived in a private 20-home association where they could play safely outside. We’re grateful to our former next-door neighbors, whose daughter played highly competitive games of croquet with our children.
In contrast, some of my cousins lived in homes where their moms were constantly preparing food and putting it out between meals. When we entered their homes, eating felt inevitable—we felt we had to participate.
Choosing the Right Company (and Activities)
Some of our friends encourage physical activities that keep us away from food—pickleball, tennis, golf, long walks with dogs, impromptu hikes, and museum visits. Participating in charity sporting events, environmental cleanups, or helping someone who can't get out to run errands are all meaningful ways to stay active and engaged without snacking.
But we all have friends who steer us toward more sedentary, food-centered activities. My wife, for example, has friends who love to play bridge for 3–4 hours a day (my personal limit is one hour). Others invite us to buffets at their clubs, where the temptation to overeat is difficult to resist.
Making the Shift
To replace an unhealthy process with a healthy one, we almost always need to assess two things:
How we allocate our time
With whom we spend our social time
With awareness and intention, we can choose to gradually phase out mindless eating habits and replace them with healthier, more fulfilling alternatives.