Eating Question (from a psychological perspective!)

Ok, so this is a bit of a random topic, hence why I posted in Chit Chat (if it is not in correct section please feel free to move).

So, I hope I can explain this clearly but I really just want to just express my thoughts and see if anyone else feels the same....??!

I've noticed that I tend to over indulge a bit here but more-so, I buy things that I wouldn't ever normally buy in the states. For instance, I would maybe buy and eat a candy bar in the states like once every couple of weeks. I would very rarely buy doritos or other "junk food". I would never really buy any pastries and never really buy doughnuts.

Over here, I tend to buy those foods and eat them fairly frequently! I have always been pretty healthy and haven't really put on weight here but it is just different for me to want these foods and want them fairly frequently.

I have started to think about it and I know how big of a role food plays psychologically. I just think I am over compensating for the food that I miss from home and basically grab on to things I know I like here and EAT them!!

I just felt the desire to bring this point up here and to see if anyone else notices doing the same thing. It's not anything that is a big deal to me but just something I find interesting!

I know exactly what you're talking about.  I've been doing the same thing.  Before I moved, I wouldn't be caught dead with a bag of potato chips in my hands.  I was all about eating things that were good for me.

I come over here and suddenly I'm eating cheese doodles.  CHEESE DOODLES!  I hadn't had those since high school!

I think part of it is the familiarity and part of it is that I am a student again.  I've gone back to eating all the crap I ate during undergrad.  It's unbelievable how much pizza I've eaten in the last few months.  My body just craves salt and grease and starch after a day of studying.

In the past few weeks I've been making an effort to eat more like I used to, but I also used to have a lot more time, so it's trying to figure out that balance.

It's never been so much of a concern of weight or anything for me, I just always feel better when I'm eating good food.  But I'm glad I'm not the only one who's gone on an inexplicable junk food kick! 

I haven't noticed that at all.

I think it is more of a lifestyle thing - being a student again, for example.

I moved to the UK when I was in my late 30s, so I've become more careful about what I eat just because my metabolism isn't what it was when I was in my 20s.

I would probably have the same eating habits in the US as I do here in the UK.

An exception might be when you first move to the UK, you are trying all the new foods so you might eat more because everything is new and exciting.

But once UK food becomes "normal food" I think you're eating habits would reflect your particular lifestyle, not the fact that you live in the UK.

I also suppose that if you are homesick or experiencing culture shock, or just having a bit of difficulty getting used to certain things here and there, you might deal with your stress/depression/uneasiness by eating if you are the type of person that deals with those things by eating. But I, personally, deal with stuff in other ways.

Its like your always hungry but can never find something good to eat. I'm used to cooking the food over here now (7 years) but for some reason I never feel satisified and I think its because the food (even the same recipe) just doesn't taste the same. the beef is different!

And then there is the familiar oreo cookies that I guess we just eat to feel home again. Like I cannot find fat free sour cream in this country and when I buy the tiny little nothing of a bottle of sour cream it doesn't taste even half as good. So when I do see something american I gobble it up as if I am never going to have good food again.

Oh and if anyone finds choc and peanut butter let me know.
And proper rosarita enchilada sauce (not made with a tomato base yuck)

I have to agree with sweetpeach--I think it's more a lifestyle thing.  If anything I eat less junk  now than I did in the US.  I'm cheap and find junk food an unecessary expense.  Plus hubby doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, and if he / we want chips (crisps) it's a rare occasion and a special treat.

Also, if I *did* eat more sweets and junk food I'd surely gain weight quickly, so that's another deterrent.

I have to agree with sweetpeach--I think it's more a lifestyle thing.  If anything I eat less junk  now than I did in the US. 

Though I seem to inadvertently be on a mission to convert him! 

If you are aware that comfort eating is what you are doing, I think it is OK but if you are feeling like you are comforting eating and you don't want to, could you find something else of interest to distract you?

I think it can be a combination of factors: change resulting from the move, life stage, what your peers are doing etc. etc. So many factors are at play in how we eat and food has a social factor as well.

The first 6 months I lived here were a bit like that, but mainly out of curiosity about all the new junk food I hadn't tried before and how it compared to similar foods in the US. After I packed on some weight, though, I had to reconsider whether my investigative skills were paying off.  Also, I did buy Oreos and things I didn't eat much in the states just to have something familiar. But I'm pretty much over that now, as the food here is all pretty familiar by now. I started counting calories and keeping a diet journal so I don't overeat. I balance my meals better now, and I still leave room for the things I love like chocolate and wine without starving myself to feel like its ok to have it. I've gotten used to smaller portions and find I am no longer as hungry as I used to be (and drinking a lot of water helps tremendously). I never eat fast food anymore, even though there are a few places within driving distance, because I just feel sick when I do since I'm not used to it anymore. If I want to just mindlessly sort of snack in front of the tv (a bad habit, but comforting) then I just pop some popcorn in a bit of oil and munch it one kernel at a time. Or slowly munch a bowl of grapes. It still offers that feeling of comfort without the guilt of staring down at a big empty bag of Doritos at the end of my hand. 

Though I seem to inadvertently be on a mission to convert him! 

  He loved the Nanaimo bar!  Last night we split the last turtle bar--tasty!

I rarely bought or ate fried foods or junk food in the States.  Now I eat it.  I blame it all on my husband.  He's a lover of chips, crisps, chocolates...and if they are in the house I'll eat them.  Darn him and my weight gain!

Ya, for me I think it is a mixture of things. Psychological, trying new foods, eating more because I am now living with a man (!!!) and for just plain ol' comfort.
I enjoy trying new foods here but I do notice that if I spot something American, such as Kraft macaroni and cheese (something I would never buy back home) I buy it and get really excited to eat it! I think it is just to have something familiar. I just find all of this very interesting.

im a bit differant. I will buy the stuff, the never eat it.
I will fancy it when I see it in the shop,but when I get home I will put it in the fridge or cupboard and never eat it. The amount of stuff I had to throw away because of it is unreal. I have no idea why I do it, its just when its here, I dont want to eat it for some reason
anyone have an explaination for that?

im a bit differant. I will buy the stuff, the never eat it.
I will fancy it when I see it in the shop,but when I get home I will put it in the fridge or cupboard and never eat it. The amount of stuff I had to throw away because of it is unreal. I have no idea why I do it, its just when its here, I dont want to eat it for some reason
anyone have an explaination for that?

Sometimes we do that with clothes. Buy them and then never wear them.