Food-lovers, rejoice! Enjoying the food you eat can actually help you stick with your diet. According to a new review in Trends in Cognitive Sciences, the trick is focusing in on the things you love about healthy fare, not just about splurges.
A team of researchers from the University of Toronto, Texas A&M University, and the University of Aberdeen reviewed a slew of studies on motivation and found that, contrary to popular opinion, self-control doesn’t just run out at a certain point (like when the dessert tray makes a pass by your table). Instead, giving in is a sign that you just haven’t learned to find pleasure in the necessary activities of life. In the case of dieting, that would be healthy eating.
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It’s all about turning “have-to’s” into “want-to’s,” says lead author Michael Inzlicht, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Toronto Scarborough. When you shift your mindset in that way, you get rid of the internal struggle between what you should—and really want—to eat.
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So how can you turn eating your veggies into something you truly want to do? Think about the enjoyment you get from them, suggests Inzlicht. Maybe it’s from a feeling of achievement, having more energy, or just really digging your dish (after all, our recipe finder is stocked with tons of yummy ways to dress greens up). Whatever your upside to healthy eating, focusing on it will make your diet a whole lot easier—and make mealtime a lot more fun.
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