How to Train Your Brain to Crave Healthy Food

Switching to a healthy diet is not a sprint, but a marathon. Don’t try to change all your habits overnight. Give your brain time to adjust to the new routine.

Switching to a healthy diet is not a sprint, but a marathon. Don’t try to change all your habits overnight. Give your brain time to adjust to the new routine. If you gradually incorporate these tips into your life, you’ll eventually find that the desire to eat a healthy salad will be as strong as it once was to grab a bag of chips.

Educate Yourself and Dive into the World of Healthy Eating

Yes, we all know that eating a salad is healthier than eating a bag of chips, but forcing yourself to make the right choice every time is a whole different story. How do you fight the habit of ordering pizza on Fridays when your brain already associates it with comfort and relaxation? The answer is simple — you need to train your brain to crave healthy food. Start with continuous self-education: read books, articles, and blogs about the benefits of healthy eating. Watch documentaries about the effects of different foods on health. Gradually, your brain will begin to see healthy food not as a punishment but as a source of energy and well-being.

Identify Your Food Triggers

Why do you crave chocolate after a tough day at work? Or perhaps the habit of snacking on sweets goes back to childhood when you were rewarded with candy for good grades? Triggers are small traps in our mind that make us repeatedly do things we don’t really need. To train yourself to crave healthy food, you first need to understand what makes you reach for fast food. Do you use it to relieve stress? As a reward for a job well done? Once you recognize these triggers, you can consciously avoid them and replace unhealthy snacks with healthier alternatives.

Keep Balance: 80/20 Is Your Rule

Let’s be honest: completely giving up your favorite junk foods is tough and, in most cases, unnecessary. A sudden break from your usual meals can only increase the desire to break the rules and return to old habits. Here’s where the 80/20 rule comes in handy. Live a healthy lifestyle 80% of the time, and leave the other 20% for small pleasures. That cheeseburger with friends or a slice of cake at a birthday won’t make a big difference if most of your diet consists of healthy food.

Focus on Rest

How many times have you eaten something unhealthy just because you were tired? Lack of sleep and overload at work make us reach for quick carbs to get an instant energy boost. In reality, it’s just a temporary burst of energy that quickly turns into fatigue. If you truly want to train your brain to choose healthy food, start with something simple — establish a good sleep routine, take breaks at work, and make sure to rest. A well-rested person is less likely to choose a donut over an apple.

Take Photos of Your Meals and Keep a "Food Journal"

Take photos of what you eat. Yes, don’t be shy about snapping pictures of your healthy lunches and dinners and storing them in a separate folder on your phone. It’s not only great motivation but also a way to analyze your diet. A visual journal will help you see how your eating habits are changing and serve as a reminder of how far you’ve come on your journey to a healthier lifestyle. Plus, it’s a great way to show your friends that you’ve finally learned to cook something other than scrambled eggs.