How to Deal with Trigger Foods

May 25, 2021

Have you ever thought… “I can’t keep cereal [or insert your favorite food] in the house because I’ll eat the entire thing in one sitting”? If yes, you’re not alone! Today we’re going to talk about “trigger foods” and how to deal with trigger foods. Pssst – you CAN keep your favorite foods in the house!!

Many of my clients come to me saying:

“I can’t keep ____ in the house.”

The ____ is usually one of their favorite foods that they consider a “trigger food.”

As a registered dietitian, I often hear:

“I don’t trust myself to keep ____ in the house.”

Most of the time, this is because my client has restricted whatever food they don’t trust themselves around. Restriction is almost definitely going to lead to feeling out of control around food.

This can happen with ANY food that’s restricted, but let’s take cereal as an example.

You may have grown up eating cereal without second thought. You poured yourself a bowl (without measuring anything) and ate it. If you were still hungry, you had more. This may feel like a foreign concept to you, but know that you can get back to this place one day.

Then one day you were told or witnessed something that triggered the thoughts of “cereal is bad, I shouldn’t eat too much of it.”

So you started to measure the arbitrary serving size on the side of the package. You ate 3/4 cup of cereal with 1/2 cup milk, and even if you were still hungry, that was all you allowed yourself to have.

And this continued for some time, until you snapped and you ate the entire box (or a lot of cereal and felt uncomfortably full).

So you vow to never buy cereal again because you “just can’t stop eating it.”

And one day you’re food shopping, the cereal calls your name and you decide to buy a box. As soon as you get home from the store you pour yourself a portioned bowl… and the same thing happens. You pour bowl after bowl until you feel too full.

So you vow to never buy cereal again… again.

Has this ever happened to you?

If a food feels TRIGGERING to you, it’s likely a sign that you’re restricting yourself. Even if you feel as if you’re not, feeling out of control around food is a sign that you’re physically or mentally restricting yourself.

What is a trigger food?

I consider trigger foods to be food that you feel out of control around. When this “trigger food” is around, you just can’t stop eating it.

Other names include:
– Binge foods
– Forbidden foods
– Off limits foods

Trigger foods are very common if you have a history of dieting. Typically diets tell you not to eat your trigger foods… which makes them THAT much more of a trigger to feel out of control. This is another reason why diets don’t work and can actually harm your relationship with food.

If you get nothing else from this blog post, I want you to know that you don’t have to have trigger foods. You can find a place where you make peace with all foods.

Making peace with food is a process, but can be done with repeated exposure as part of the process. Yes, you need to shift your mindset from thinking about food as “good” versus “bad.” But you also need to give yourself permission to eat the “off limits” trigger foods.

So why should you buy your trigger foods if you feel out of control around them?

Because you need to build trust with yourself. As you’ll see below, part of the process of buying your favorite foods to enjoy in a way that still helps you feel good is to expose yourself to these foods consistently.

If you keep buying the cereal, eventually “shiny object syndrome” will wear off.

What do I mean? It won’t feel new and off limits if you keep exposing yourself to it. You won’t be as drawn to the box of cereal, knowing it’s always there. It’s not a “special occasion” when you can eat the cereal. You can eat it on Tuesday morning, Wednesday afternoon, Thursday for dinner, Friday for dessert… you get the gist.

3 Steps to Deal with Trigger Foods:

Buy your trigger food
Give yourself permission to eat your trigger food
Repeat until you DON’T feel out of control around your trigger food

I get it… this 3-step process can be scary. But by exposing yourself to these “scary foods” you won’t feel out of control and eat an entire box of Golden Grahams in one sitting.

Here’s how to deal with trigger foods

1. Buy your trigger food

Even if you don’t open the box right away, having your favorite “trigger” food in the house is a way of increasing your exposure to that food.

Buy buying your trigger food you’re telling yourself that it’s OK to eat this food and keep it in your safe environment. This builds trust with yourself.

2. Give yourself permission to eat your trigger food

Now that the food is in your safe environment, give yourself permission to eat this food. After all, it’s one of your favorites!

A big tip I have for this step is to eat your “trigger food” as part of a well-balanced meal you feel comfortable eating.

Here’s how this can look:

Pour yourself a bowl of cereal alongside scrambled eggs and avocado, your usual breakfast
Scoop ice cream into a bowl and enjoy with your dinner – not as a reward for finishing dinner
Use peanut butter on your toast instead of eating it dry with eggs in the morning
Add gummy bears to your trail mix snack of nuts and dried fruit

By adding these trigger foods to “safe” meals, you’re telling yourself that it’s safe to eat these foods too. Plus, by pairing nutrients together (carbs + protein + fat), your body will respond favorably when eating them (vs. getting a sugar crash from chocolate alone, for example).

What to expect the first time you eat your trigger food

The first time you eat your trigger food you may feel out of control. After all, just because you’re giving yourself permission to eat this food doesn’t mean it’s no longer a trigger. To deal with these out of control feelings, make sure you’re in a safe space and enjoy this food as part of a meal.

Even if you feel out of control around this food, think about…

Tuning into your fullness cues – and respecting them!
Reminding yourself that you can always eat this food again. It will be here tomorrow.

You may still overeat in this first instance, but you broke the ice! Be gentle with yourself if you over-ate and instead of going back to dieting behaviors, follow these tips after overeating.

The next time you’re in the mood for your trigger food, repeat the same steps as above. Eat it with a meal and do so mindfully. Try to respect your fullness a bit more this time and remind yourself again that you can eat this food at any time. How is the second exposure to your trigger food different?

3. Keep eating your trigger food

Repeat this process above until you feel comfortable and confident around your trigger foods.

It’s 100% normal to feel out of control in the beginning, but the more you allow yourself to deal with your trigger foods, the easier it gets to be around them.

How do I deal with more than one trigger food?

It’s perfectly normal to have more than one trigger food. I suggest working on ONE trigger food at a time to prevent getting overwhelmed.

This is the process of habituation, which I work on with my students in the Nutrition Training Program, my signature online program to help women stop dieting and learn what, when, and how to eat without rules. Join the waitlist for when enrollment opens again.

If you have any questions, always feel free to email chelsey@chelseyamernutrition.com!