The concept of food controlling you, not the other way around has come up for me a few times this week…
First. I got a message from Mary, who’d just finished the Naturally Healthy Club.
She said: “The most important battle has been won. I feel relaxed around eating, unworried by weight, and like the control is with me, not the food.”
Then I was listening back to an interview with Faith, another Naturally Healthy Club member, who said she’d gone from feeling like food was controlling her to feeling like she had genuine agency over her choices.
And yes, she was back in the clothes she couldn’t wear before — but more than that, she felt like herself again.
So how did they get there?
There are a lot of pieces to that puzzle, but one strategy that makes a huge difference is this simple 30-second habit.
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Video Version
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My 30-Second Strategy
I call it the Intentional Moments Habit.
Here’s all it is: whenever you have the urge to eat — or even after you’ve already put something in your mouth — you pause and ask yourself:
“Do I really want this?” or “Do I really want this right now?”
That’s it.
Walking past the kitchen and grabbing a handful of almonds – Pause. Three-quarters through dinner and feeling a bit full – Pause.
The whole check-in takes about 10 seconds, honestly. But it radically changes how much control you feel.
How It Works
Most of the time, we eat on autopilot — a bit like driving somewhere and realising you don’t actually remember the journey.
When we eat without thinking, we bypass our best decision-making.
But that one simple question — do I really want this? — acts as a pattern interrupt. It switches you out of autopilot mode and brings your rational, thinking brain (your prefrontal cortex) into the conversation.
Your prefrontal cortex is good at this. It can weigh up: yes, those almonds taste great right now and dinner is in 20 minutes. It can hold both things at once and help you make a choice that feels genuinely good both in the moment and for the long term.
That’s where the sense of control comes from. Not willpower. Not restriction. Just bringing conscious thought into the moment.
The Biggest Mistake
There are 3 common ones I see people make with this strategy:
Thinking you’ve failed if you still eat the thing.
You haven’t. If you ask yourself “do I really want this donut?” and your brain says yes — then you really do want it. Eat it! The point isn’t to always say no. It’s to make a conscious choice rather than an automatic one.
Rushing through it on autopilot.
There’s not much point asking the question if you don’t actually pause to let your brain weigh things up. Give it a real moment. Ask: “Do I want this right now? Or could I have it later?”
Forgetting to do it.
It’s a new habit, so a visual reminder can really help. A post-it on the fridge or in the pantry with the words “Do I really want this?” is surprisingly effective.
My personal favourite? Two jars on the kitchen counter — one full of pastry weights (marbles or paperclips work just as well), one empty. Every time I check in with myself, I transfer one across. By the end of the day I’ve got a satisfying visual record of how many intentional moments I had.
One of my Naturally Healthy Club members said spotting her jar out of the corner of her eye while reaching for the chips was enough — she put them back without even thinking twice.
How to Apply This Strategy
(Your Weekly Home Play)
This week, experiment with the Intentional Moments Tiny Habit:
1. After you have the urge to eat (or after something is already in your mouth), pause and ask: “Do I really want this?”
2. Celebrate yourself every time you do it, regardless of whether you eat or not. A little internal “yes, that’s me being intentional” releases dopamine and tells your brain: let’s do that again.
You can track it with the two-jar method, a tally on a notebook, or anything that gives you a visual reminder. The goal isn’t perfection — it’s building that tiny moment of conscious choice, one meal at a time.
Let me know your thoughts…
How do you feel about the strategy of bringing more conscious thought into your food choices so you feel like the control is with you?
Have a delicious week!
In your corner
Jules xx
(Your favourite Australian Food Scientist)
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