"Food is part of identity": Why nutrition is an emotional topic – an interview with a nutritional psychologist
Göttingen. Thomas Ellrott heads the Institute of Nutritional Psychology at the University of Göttingen and the University Medical Center Göttingen. The physician, who holds a doctorate, also serves as the Scientific Section Head of the German Nutrition Society in Lower Saxony.
The recent debate surrounding the naming of vegetarian products demonstrates that nutrition can be a highly emotional topic. Why is that?
I would prefer to speak of eating and drinking rather than nutrition. Eating and drinking describe the connection to our everyday lives and actions much better. After all, we don't call people to the table for nourishment, but for eating. Shared meals are like a social campfire, which is why eating and drinking are so strongly emotionally linked. Bonds with other people are, at least in part, maintained through shared meals. Furthermore, food is part of our identity, for some more than for others. Still others use it to control how they want to be perceived by others. So it's about far more than just the intake of nutrients.
Vegetarian, vegan, paleo, gluten-free, "high protein" or "clean eating" – there are so many different dietary styles. Do some people live by the motto: You are what you eat?
Defining oneself through one's consumer choices, including food choices, is an important aspect for some people. It allows them to control how they want to be perceived. For example, some people practice "clean eating" or follow a vegan diet because they believe it benefits their health. Others adopt such dietary styles because they want to be the center of attention and showcase their sustainable lifestyle. This can also be linked to a feeling of moral superiority.
Identity is also about belonging, and sometimes about exclusion. Can this also be applied to food?
This has always been a fundamental principle. We are constantly searching for belonging, for support, meaning, and orientation. For this, we need social anchors in manageable groups, and we find these, for example, through church, sports clubs, hobbies, friendships, and, fundamentally, family. But these traditional anchors are increasingly breaking down. They are sometimes being replaced by digital communities, often in the context of nutrition. There, one finds like-minded people, a kind of new family or new circle of friends. This could be in a vegan community, for example, but just as easily in a keto community. This provides a feeling of security and familiarity.
Why do people eat differently than they should? Your institute, according to its own statement, is dedicated to this question. What is the answer?
It's a misconception to believe that human eating behavior is solely controlled by information such as nutritional values or ingredient lists. Eating is a complex bio-psycho-social behavior. In everyday life, it's driven much more by emotions and habits than by knowledge and information. On the one hand, you can know very precisely what's healthy. On the other hand, you might still behave quite differently. Experts used to think that simply imparting the right knowledge would automatically lead to better behavior. But that's not the case. Knowledge and action are essentially separate compartments in the brain. The action compartment, for example, is heavily influenced by habits: I generally behave the way I have before because it has served me well in the past.
Thomas Ellrott,
Nutrition psychologist
What does that mean in relation to food?
If I were to objectively weigh the various pros and cons of every food decision I make each day, I would have to use a significant amount of my brain's processing power. And that's precisely what most people can't do. Most of us are incredibly busy in our daily lives; our brains are constantly dealing with numerous other stressors. This leaves us with insufficient free processing power to grapple with the complex question of proper, healthy, and sustainable nutrition.
How can I break these habits if I want to change my eating behavior?
This is a challenge because people don't consciously think about their habits. The first step, therefore, is to become aware of this automatic process in the first place. Food diaries or logging data in nutrition apps make behaviors visible that usually happen under the radar. You can also take photos of your food. Documenting or photographing your meals takes eating out of the habitual phase. I become aware of what I'm doing in that moment. This alone changes my behavior. Such self-observation is extremely effective because it automatically leads to a higher degree of self-control. Another option is to consciously focus on food when your brain isn't completely occupied with other things and you have more "me time"—for example, on weekends. Then you can also plan and cook in advance for the coming week. Research shows that people who cook for themselves also eat healthier on average. In addition, time and stress management can help free up more resources for conscious food choices.
Does that mean we often have no overview of everything we eat throughout the day?
Especially when snacking between meals or while doing other things, most people's minds are completely occupied with other matters. Snacking then goes completely unnoticed, while we are more aware of and remember main meals eaten at the table.
What is more important: health or taste?
People have different motivations when it comes to food. About a third of the population primarily decides based on health reasons. Another third would like to eat more healthily or sustainably, but their unpredictable daily lives constantly get in the way. And there's another third who don't care about any of that: as long as it's cheap and tasty. So, health is only the most important factor for a small percentage of people when it comes to food. Nevertheless, we always use health motivations to try to convince people to eat more healthily. It would be much better, for example, to cook with children in schools or at home. If fun and a sense of accomplishment are the focus, then that has a far greater impact on changing behavior than simply lecturing them about healthy eating. Even teenagers basically know what healthy eating is, but in practice, they usually eat differently. Providing them with even more information isn't helpful.
What role do one's own parents play in eating habits?
Learning by example is the most important learning mechanism, including when it comes to food. Parents are the most important role models until around the age of twelve; after that, friends and the peer group become more relevant. It's not crucial that parents explain healthy food to their children with convincing arguments. They must genuinely enjoy eating these foods themselves. Telling children they have to eat healthy vegetables when the parents themselves don't eat them simply doesn't work. And there's another pitfall: when children are picky eaters, it often serves only one purpose – they're trying to get affection and attention. This is especially true when there are siblings at the table. If parents constantly respond to this, the pickiness will eventually become an ingrained habit.
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When changing eating habits doesn't work, more and more people who want to lose weight are resorting to so-called weight-loss injections. What is your perspective on this as a nutritional psychologist?
These medications lead to substantial weight loss and are relatively safe. The weight-loss injections automatically change behavior because they also affect the satiety center – but only as long as they are being used. Many people think: "I'll lose a lot of weight with the injections. Once I reach my target weight, I won't need the medication anymore and will just maintain my weight." However, the fact is that almost everyone regains the weight quickly after stopping the injections. To avoid this, it's necessary to utilize the effects of the medication. Eating and exercise habits can be actively retrained during the injection therapy so that weight can be maintained more effectively after discontinuing the medication. Many would therefore benefit from behavioral therapy. This involves questions such as: What should I buy and how should I cook? What portion sizes are ideal for me? How should I track my eating habits? How should I behave in stressful situations? How should I incorporate exercise into my daily routine? The medication itself only works as long as it is being injected.
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