Salt and Sugar: A look into eating habits

Below is a collection of audio clips that follow the narrative of one college student’s eating habits and one doctor’s description of how someone should eat. Consume with the written text.

Sometimes, Brittany Tucker forgets to eat.

“I usually meet with a friend to eat so we eat at like Pollo (Tropical) or maybe Firehouse,” Tucker said. “If I don’t do that I normally eat really late in the day, maybe after all of my classes so maybe like 5 o’clock at night. I don’t really eat breakfast or lunch.

“I don’t have time for it, really.”

Tucker, 22, an anthropology major at the University of Florida, talks about her eating habits.

Tonight she’s having a leftover bread bowl from Domino’s.

Eating habits are a melting pot of personal choices and necessity. Tucker’s eating habits represent a little bit of everything, but that may not always be the healthiest way to live.

People define a part of themselves by their salt and their sugar. What someone eats, how, when and where are all factors that go into defining a person’s eating habits.

Tucker is recalling whether or not she paid attention to her last meal. Normally, she puts her phone away when she eats with other people.

“I eat with my friends so we’re usually talking about what happened during our day or what we’re going to do. I don’t check my phone until after the meal is done,” she said. Pause.

“But when I’m in my dorm I eat in front of my computer so I’m mostly doing homework.”

Is eating while distracted a problem? Chief and medical director of the Adult Eating Disorder and Obesity program at UF thinks so.

Amelia Davis can explain why eating while distracted can be a problem.

“I think a lot of people in today’s society are very busy, and there’s a lot of over stimulation with cell phones and computers and TV and a lot of people don’t eat mindfully,” she said.

She defines mindful eating as the concept of intentionally focusing on a meal in a non-judgmental way. It’s a solution to the problem of being discontent with one’s eating habits that emphasizes focus instead of drastic change.

“So, in general, one would be eating slowly, eating without distractions, really focused on the physical sensations of hunger and using that to help determine when to stop eating,” she said. “Listen to one’s body and being aware of the taste of food.”

By all accounts, Tucker’s eating habits seem like they’d be relatable to a lot of people. They are not entirely mindful by Davis’ definition, but Tucker is content. Sometimes she eats when she needs to. Sometimes she eats when she doesn’t need to. She said she likes to eat and Italian is her favorite.

“I guess it’s probably because I’ve been doing the whole one meal for the past four years so I’m used to not eating a lot,” she said.

Optimally, a person should eat slowly and without distractions, according to Davis. It is all about focusing on the sensation of hunger and the taste and texture of the food.

“While they’re eating, a lot of people are eating at the desk or in the car or on the go or using their cellphone and computer while eating,” she said.

This means they are not paying attention. This can lead a person to overeating or under eating. An eating disorder can develop in extreme cases.

Eating without mindfulness can lay the foundation for fears surrounding food and mealtime.

“I don’t really like eating by myself,” Tucker said. “If there’s any chance for me to eat with somebody I’ll do it. Sometimes when I eat by myself I’m like ‘oh, people are watching.’”

The solution to common anxieties surrounding mealtime can be found in eating mindfully, according to Davis.

“Mindful eating is a way of helping an individual overcome problems or fears they may have regarding eating,” she said.

Tucker said she doesn’t fear eating alone, but she doesn’t prefer it. She has no food fears but she does have foods she avoids.

“I have cerebral palsy so some foods taste weird, where like the texture is odd,” she said. “So like, spinach I can’t do it be because the texture is off. It just tastes weird.”

She doesn’t like beef or steak and the same goes for mashed potatoes (the regular kind, not sweet potatoes).

Tucker feels her eating habits are pretty normal. They are a recipe for averageness: a little necessity, a little enjoyment, a sprinkle of personal preference, a bit of justifiable avoidance.

The habitual lack of mindful eating in her habits represent a little of what some people experience as they balance their meal times with other demands throughout the day.

For Davis, it’s just about paying more attention to meal time the way one would pay attention to incoming text messages.

“In general, practicing eating in the present moment and making sure that the person sets aside time to eat three meals a day instead of eating on the go or in the car, and I think not just eating by yourself but also eating with other people, can be healthy and beneficial ” she said.

After the interview, Tucker said she’s going to take a nap and eat her leftovers for dinner as she prepares for her midterms.