Why You Keep Eating Foods That Hurt

You already know dairy wrecks you. Or that bread leads to bloating every single time. And yet, there you are again, eating the exact thing you swore off last Tuesday. If this sounds familiar, you’re in very good company.

Why It Keeps Happening

• Habit loops: Your brain craves foods it’s used to, regardless of how they make you feel later
• Delayed reactions: When symptoms show up hours later, the connection feels less real
• The “just this once” trap: We convince ourselves this time will be different
• Social and emotional comfort: Trigger foods are often tied to memories, gatherings, or stress relief
• Convenience: Sometimes the problematic food is simply the easiest option available

The Forgetting Effect

Here’s the sneaky part: your brain is wired to remember the pleasure of eating and minimize the pain that came after. By the time you’re craving pizza again, the memory of last time’s bloating has faded to a vague “it probably wasn’t that bad.” It was. Your food diary has the receipts.

Breaking the Cycle

• Review your symptom log before eating a known trigger—remind yourself what actually happened last time
• Find a go-to substitute for your top 2-3 triggers (not a perfect replacement, just a good-enough one)
• Plan ahead for social situations where trigger foods will be present
• Give yourself a conscious choice rather than an autopilot one—“I’m choosing this knowing what will happen” is different from sleepwalking into it
• Track the pattern honestly—seeing “pizza → bloating” five times in a row is harder to dismiss than a vague feeling

It’s Not All-or-Nothing

Sometimes you’ll eat the trigger food anyway, and that’s okay. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s awareness. There’s a real difference between mindlessly repeating a pattern and making an informed choice. One keeps you stuck, the other puts you in control.

Knowing your triggers is step one. Choosing what to do with that knowledge—every single time—is the real journey.