One of the ways we sabotage ourselves and our own success is through bad habits.
II a perfect world, our habits would be perfect. However, we frequently make food decisions which aren’t in our own best interest.
Oftentimes, when Friday comes, I feel too tired to cook and takeaways seem the most desirable option. The week has been long and so I feel that the takeaway is owing to me.
That’s just one of my less helpful habits. What are yours? If you were to take an honest look at yourself, you would possibly find a few.
There are many habits I would love to shake off and many new habits I would like to develop. However, I have found this is often easier said than done. In reading about how to build new habits (and get rid of the unhelpful ones), I discovered there is a science to it. This is good news, because it means I can apply tried and tested methods of behavioural science to overcome poor habits.
It all sounds quite technical but it’s really quite simple. It’s about observing yourself and identifying triggers and cues in your environment, and the resulting unhelpful behaviours. It’s about finding ‘substitute behaviours’, and, and…
But before I begin to unpack the steps which I found, it’s important to know that if you’re feeling like a failure because you have tried many times to break a bad habit and failed, you are not alone. Rest assured, habits, such as reaching for a chocolate when stress mounts, aren’t moral failings. They’re learned responses shaped by our brains, environments and social lives.
Since they have a ‘science’ behind them, we can also rewire our thinking and behaviour towards success. Are you ready to make a change? I know I am.
Why Habits Are Stubborn
Habits are automatic routines triggered by cues in our environment. Psychologist Wendy Wood, who has spent decades researching habit formation, summarises it simply, explaining that a habit arises when a context cue becomes tightly linked with a rewarded response. This pattern then begins to run on autopilot unless we intentionally intervene.
In other words, willpower alone isn’t enough. Context and repetition drive behaviour.
This explains why you can finish a packet of biscuits while barely registering each mouthful. The cue (afternoon slump, TV, stress) sets off the routine (snacking) and the brain registers reward (comfort, energy).
To change the habit, you have to address the whole loop: cue, routine and reward.
Here is a step by step guide to breaking bad habits with food:
1 Identify Cues
Habits start with cues. This means that your first step is awareness. Keep a simple log of your behaviour for a week. Note what you were doing, where you were, how you felt and what you ate or drank. You’ll notice patterns. For example, a stressful email before a coffee-run, TV time linked to snacking, or shopping when you’re hungry.
When a cue repeats in the same context, the habit strengthens. Disrupting the context weakens it. Researchers show simply identifying cues reduces mindless behaviour and gives you a chance to act differently.
2 Replace Actions/Routines
Telling your brain ‘don’t snack’ is less effective than offering an alternative routine that gives a comparable reward. If the biscuit tin equals comfort, swap the routine. For example, make a hot tea, step outside for five minutes, or do a two-minute stretch.
Behavioural science calls this ‘habit substitution’. It works because the underlying cue and reward remain, but the action changes.
3 Change The Environment
Countless studies show that a person’s environment is very important in fostering behaviour. To give an example, if biscuits sit on the kitchen counter, you’ll eat more than if they’re tucked away.
4 Use Repetition To Rewire The Brain
Habits are learned through repetition. Neuroscience tells us that repeated behaviours strengthen neural pathways. The more you repeat a healthier routine in a stable context, the more automatic it becomes.
Start small, for example, by choosing fruit instead of a chocolate bar twice a week and build from there.
5 Tap into social and identity cues
Humans are social animals. What your household, friends, and workplace do influences you far more than abstract health messages. Use social support. You can share your goals with a friend, swap recipes in a family chat, or make a workplace decision to keep communal snacks healthier.
Equally powerful is identity. How do you see yourself? If you start to see yourself as ‘someone who chooses nourishing food,’ then the decisions that you make will start to align with this refreshed identity.
It can be hard to change a bad habit but it definitely has its rewards. Cutting down habit-driven and mindless consumption of unhealthy and high-sugar foods can, for example, reduce your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, to name a few conditions.
So, Are You Ready To Take Your First Steps To A Better You?
In your efforts to change, please remember to be kind to yourself! It’s always important to consider that compassion is more important than criticism. If you condemn yourself every time you slip up, you will probably stay stuck in toxic habits. Rather, gentle, structured change is recommended. Reshape your cues, substitute your actions with new and better ones and acknowledge your small wins.
