From an early age, we are conditioned to reward ourselves with food. It might have begun in kindergarten, when we were treated to cupcakes at the annual Halloween party. It may have continued through junior high and high school, when we reached for the cookies after a hard day at school. In adulthood, we may buy a high-calorie frappucino to celebrate a success on the job.

But the problem is, food was not designed to be a reward. It exists simply to give us energy. When we look at food as a reward, there is a great temptation to overeat. We believe that we deserve it, that we’ve earned this opportunity to indulge. We feel gratified when we eat food that might otherwise be forbidden.

Our food-as-reward culture has had calamitous consequences. An increasing number of us are overweight, and getting fatter by the year. We suffer from a myriad of health problems as a result of our obesity. We may feel lethargic and unmotivated—too stuffed to engage in exercise. We have become a nation of couch potatoes. (more…)