Healthy Huddle: Food Attention Hierarchy

We break down why cravings show up even when we are not hungry and how attention drives appetite. We map the food attention hierarchy and share simple ways to make better choices easier without relying on willpower. 
• what hierarchy means and why layers matter 
• appetite following attention through ads, scrolling, and visual cues 
• the food attention hierarchy as notice, prioritize, act 
• dominant attention foods and why they create desire 
• accessible attention foods and the power of convenience 
• passive attention foods and why prep changes outcomes 
• invisible attention foods and how healthy choices disappear 
• promoting high attention healthy foods with visibility and placement 
• demoting treats by hiding them and adding friction 
• controlling inputs through routes, ads, and social feeds 
• preplanning meals and logging early to reduce decision fatigue 

https://aarondegler.com/

Transcript

Welcome To Healthy Huddle

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to Healthy Huddle. Thanks for taking a little time to join us. If this is your first time, welcome to Healthy Huddle. Each week we just join our live call as we discuss a different health and wellness topic each week. So again, thank you for joining us, and let's join our live call. So we're gonna we'll we'll talk about does anybody know what hierarchy is? Probably so.

SPEAKER_01 0:21

Order of things.

SPEAKER_00 0:22

Order of things, yes. You know, the the food pyramid would be a hierarchy of different order. Pecking order. The Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a pyramid of how we have different thinking of the Maslow? Yeah, yes.

SPEAKER_03 0:43

So that was a joke. That was a joke. I don't even know what to talk about.

Why Food Ads Make You Want

SPEAKER_00 0:51

We now we at one time we did talk about Maslow's hierarchy of needs. So it it but every so basically the different layers have to build on top of each other. Like if you were to take Maslow's hierarchy of needs, if the basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing are not met, then there's other things that you can't can't do. So, like kids in school, if if some of their basic needs aren't met, to get them to learn is very challenging. It's almost impossible because it's just kind of like us. How do we worry about anything else when all we can worry about is food and shelter? It's really hard to think, now where am I going to get gas? Or I wonder if I'm gonna go out to eat at this place. If if we or I want to learn something new. If we can't meet those basic needs, then then it's almost impossible to get it onto other things. So that's kind of how hierarchy works. There's a just like the food pyramid, there's a base, and then the pyramid works up and it's a little bit at the top. So some of those other things are more important at the bottom than at the top. So that's kind of what we're gonna talk about is our food attention. And we probably have never thought about our food attention as having a hierarchy, but it does, interestingly enough. You know, if if we see food, if you see a commercial, you just got done eating, but you see a commercial of a good food, what sometimes happens? What do you sometimes want? To eat it, to eat it, yeah. Sometimes you want that food. Because now, if if you look at a McDonald's commercial, don't they make that lettuce look crispy and nice and the patty, you know, thick and juicy? But even when you saw the CEO of McDonald's take a bite of that burger, did it look the same as on the commercial?

SPEAKER_01 2:47

Not at all.

SPEAKER_00 2:48

No. And have you ever been to a McDonald's, to an Arby's, to a Wendy's, to a Dairy Queen, and got something that you ordered that look exactly like the commercial?

SPEAKER_02 3:00

Never.

SPEAKER_00 3:01

Never. Because a lot of times that isn't real, that isn't even real food. Um, they use all kinds of different things to make those. Um, but that's how um we're marketed to. That's how we get to see things. If I'm not hungry, I see that and go, wow, that looks really good, even if I wasn't hungry.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

Um it was like Renee's salad that day.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

We all wanted it.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

Yeah, Renee was making a salad one day. And you probably looked at it and go, Man, that makes me really hungry. Even though you already knew what you were gonna have, or you might have already ate something.

SPEAKER_02 3:41

Real.

SPEAKER_00 3:41

Huh?

SPEAKER_02 3:42

Mine was real, not like McDonald's.

SPEAKER_00 3:44

It was real. So the question is, it made you hungry, but did anybody go out and make it?

SPEAKER_02 3:51

No, I did not.

Defining The Food Attention Hierarchy

Level One Dominant Attention Foods

SPEAKER_00 3:53

Nope. Now, if Renee would have said I have three available to buy, you she probably would have sold out in seconds. And and we've talked about before, it's kind of like when you're scrolling and you see something that looks good on Facebook, and you go, I'm gonna buy that, even though you're not hungry. So appetite doesn't necessarily follow hunger, appetite follows attention. In other words, what you notice, you think about. What you think about, you want. What you want, then you eat. So it's it's kind of a loop that we see. So why do we get more hungry sometimes when back in the day when we watch commercials? I don't think we probably watch many commercials now. Or if you're scrolling, why do we get more hungry? Because it's what we see. Appetite follows attention, and that's kind of the goal of marketing. So then what is the food attention hierarchy? What does that look like? So the order in which your brain notices, prioritizes, and then acts on food. So that's kind of what it is. So it's gonna notice first, it's gonna prioritize how do I want this, and then it's gonna act. So again, it's a base, which you have to notice first, then the second level is you're gonna prioritize it, how do I want it? And then that top level is I'm gonna act on it. But the interesting thing is not all food has the has equal power. So some food is probably really loud, in other words, really talks to you. Some is probably really visible, some is probably repeated over and over. You see it over and over and over again. Some is stimulating, like, oh, what's this gonna do? Oh, that sounds good. Oh, that's crispy. Other food is quiet, it's hidden, it's forgotten. So we're gonna talk about those foods too. But guess which foods get eaten the most? The ones that are loud, that's talk to you, that are visible, that are out on the counter, out in the office, out on the desk. You see them over and over again, they're repeated, or they're very stimulated. It's gonna make me happy, it's gonna make me joyful, it's gonna bring back a memory. Those are the ones that get eaten the most. So we can kind of talk about the levels of attention. And and probably the the the number one, the level one, these are your dominant attention. So, in other words, they're really hard to ignore. Really hard to ignore. So, there may be those foods that are right in front of you. Maybe you're at a buffet and a really good buffet, and they're right there, and so they they're just speaking to you. Like Kim and I used to work at Golden Corral, where those chilies used to be. And we talk all the time about the buffet at Golden Corral, and we both talk about different things that we just loved off the buffet at Golden Corral. And so, like, if I were to see those on a buffet at a Golden Corral, that would be like a dominant attention. Like, that's right in front of me, and I gotta have that again because it's stimulating, because I think back when I worked at Golden Crow and how good it was. I loved working at Golden Crow because of free food. Because I worked in the kitchen, so you could, it was like an all-you-could eat buffet. It was the best, you know, and sometimes dominant attention foods are those foods being eaten by others. Maybe you see somebody. Have you ever been to a restaurant before you ordered? You saw the plate come out, and they set it down on somebody's table and you go, Wow, that looks really good. I think I want that. Or they're highly stimulating. A dessert, a snack, something that's really good. Or that you see over and over on maybe on ads or social media. Those are some dominant attention. Those are really, and what happens when you click on that thing on social media? Now you even have a higher dominant attention because now it's going to come up more and more and more and more. So you get to see it more. So those don't necessarily require hunger, they create desire. So I'm not necessarily hungry, but I see those, and now I kind of have a desire for them. Now I kind of want them. And so those are your dominant intention. They they overtake all your attention because they're right there. Um, kind of like if somebody, you know, texts you or emails you. That's not really dominant attention. But if they come into your office or they come by and they're at your house, now they have required dominant attention. Now you have to go answer the door, you have to talk to them when they come in. So now it's you gotta give them all your attention. And that's kind of huh?

SPEAKER_01 9:01

You can actually just not answer the door.

SPEAKER_00 9:03

You you cannot answer the door, yeah. But if they were to come into your office in a public place and you'd be like, Oh, yeah, yeah, then you can't get around it. You gotta No, I don't you just say go out the door.

SPEAKER_03 9:16

Yeah, sorry. I was just walking out, I've done it.

SPEAKER_00 9:21

I was just walking out. Why don't you just email me that?

SPEAKER_03 9:24

Uh I've got an employee when he pulls up, I grabbed my purse and I'd like to walk out every time. What do you got? I gotta go.

SPEAKER_00 9:31

And then you just make the block and come back.

SPEAKER_03 9:33

I mean, usually he drives off. He'll leave. I don't even have to leave. He just he knows not to stick around.

Level Two Accessible Attention Foods

SPEAKER_00 9:40

That's funny. And again, we have to do something to ignore it. You have to change something to kind of get them on their way, and that's kind of what we're gonna talk about when it comes to food, too. But so that's your dominant attention. Level one. Level two is your accessible attention. In other words, it's easy to act on. You know, you might think maybe you like a glass of wine, and you have a bottle of wine in the refrigerator. That's accessible attention. It's easy to act on. Maybe you want a glass of wine, but you have no wine in the house. So that would require you getting out of your sweats, pulling your hair back, getting in the car, actually putting on some shoes, and then going into a store to get a bottle of wine, or go see others at the wine bar. So it just requires a little bit of more work than just going into the wine cellar. Because I'm sure if you enjoy wine, you have a nice big fancy wine cellar. Because that's what I see on the TV, on movies. But but they're really all these foods are nearby. You know, if it's ice cream, Gracie had wisdom teeth taken out last week. So we have some ice cream at the house. It's accessible, it has accessible attention, it's easy to act on. Whereas going to Sonic to get a blast requires a little bit more work and effort, especially since Kim and I sometimes have a hard time figuring out the app.

SPEAKER_01 11:12

We hadn't figured it out yet.

Level Three Passive Attention Foods

Level Four Invisible Attention Foods

Attention Systems Beat Willpower

Make Healthy Foods Easy To See

SPEAKER_00 11:13

We hadn't figured it out yet. So it requires a little bit more. So accessible attention is easy to act on. Little or no effort, and there's some go-to items that you go to. They can be anything from snacks in the pantry, ice cream in the freezer, leftovers, protein bars, they're just easy to get to, don't really require anything. So if level one isn't present, so in other words, if that dominant attention isn't present, then accessible attention wins. So in other words, ever quick and easy. Whatever's the easiest. And then we have level three, which is our passive attention. If we're passive attention, what does that mean? That means out of sight, out of mind. It's in a whole different closet. Maybe some a pantry or closet you go in, you don't go into very often. Maybe it's at the bottom, it's covered up by some things, maybe it's in the freezer behind some stuff. So when you open the cabinet, the drawer, the freezer, the refrigerator, you don't really see it. So it's out of sight, out of mind. Maybe it requires some preparation. Maybe it's just not readily visible. So this might be some passive attention, might be something like that's raw vegetables. It requires some process. It's ingredients for meals. There's a process to fixing that meal. Maybe the healthy options aren't prepared, they're not ready to go. So the passive attention, these healthy things, you intend to eat them, you intend to eat the all the ingredients that you just got to put together for a meal. You intend to eat the raw vegetables, you intend to eat the healthy options, but you don't because it requires more work. Yes, you can see the different ingredients, but you you're not thinking about I'm gonna put the whole thing together. So it takes some time, it takes some thought. And then there's the level four, which is invisible attention. In other words, it's never even considered, it's not in your environment, it's not part of your routine, it's not mentally available. So these foods don't even take up any brain space in your decision making. So believe it or not, some folks that don't exercise or try to eat healthy, eating healthy or making better choices is not, they don't even think about it. It's not in, it's their invisible attention, it's never even considered. It doesn't even exist in their decision-making process. In other words, when they think, what am I going to eat today? Having a some rice and grilled chicken never enters their mind even once. Eating a smaller portion never enters their mind once. So it and for some of us that deal with that on a daily basis or have in the past find that very hard to believe. But it's very true. Some people don't even enter it. So there are times when we don't eat based on what's best. We eat based on our visual hierarchy. So, in other words, what's most visible and what's accessible. When was the last time you really searched hard for to fix something for a meal and then that's what you fixed? Chances are you probably what was visible, what was easiest, and that's what you did. Unless it was planned out well ahead of time. You probably didn't work real hard to decide what you were going to fix and eat and all of that. So it's not always necessarily that we need, we just need more discipline. Sometimes it's we need a better attention system. Because sometimes those healthier foods are in that invisible attention. Sometimes they are in the passive attention. In other words, they're out of sight, out of mind. You're not even thinking about it. That's where meal prep comes into handy because it's already in the fridge. When it's already in the fridge, it's accessible attention. It's easy to get to, it's easy to grab. When you're halfway through the weekends, oh man, I don't know what to get. I should have meal prepped. Now you're in passive attention, out of sight, out of mind. You're not going to spend time to do it. So why do we need a better attention system? And why is it better than willpower? Because our brain's wired to notice reward, notice convenience. It's just kind of what we do. So if that's kind of what we do, why not make it easier on ourselves? You know, when we don't prepare, we're just making it more difficult on ourselves because we know our brain's gonna go, well, it's not there to grab, it's a whole process. And on our mind, it's a 112-step process to fix a three-ingredient meal. It's literally probably takes 15 to 20 minutes. It's a three-step process, and but in our mind, it's way different than that. So it and our brain isn't really wired to think about the long-term benefit. It's what's what's now, what's quick, what's easy. It doesn't really always think about future outcomes. So in that moment, depending on where our attention's at, that's what we're thinking about. So all we have to do, all we have to do, sounds pretty simple, is fill our environment with high attention foods. So, in other words, what does that mean? Put them readily available. How many of you have a fruit bowl? And if you do, do you grab it more often than not? My fruit bowl has candy in it. Fruit bowl has candy. So then what happens to the candy? It gets eaten.

SPEAKER_02 16:57

It gets eaten.

SPEAKER_00 16:58

Yeah. Because it's maybe kind of healthy because it's in the fruit bowl. But but it, I mean, really, think about if you put it, we used to have so the kids would go trick-or-treating, and with four kids, there was a lot of candy. And we had this big vase, I don't know, it was probably it was tall.

SPEAKER_01 17:17

You you sent me like five dozen roses one one time.

SPEAKER_00 17:20

Yes, one time. One time.

SPEAKER_01 17:22

That was from that.

SPEAKER_00 17:23

Yeah, so it was huge, large, large, and we and so the kids would put all their candy in there from hollow from Halloween. I mean, all kinds of stuff, and it would be filled full. And it wouldn't be long, and that whole vase would be gone.

SPEAKER_01 17:40

Yeah, we just left it on the table. It was just a free-for-all.

Demote Treats With Added Friction

SPEAKER_00 17:43

It was like a centerpiece, it was like a candy centerpiece. But it was right there. We had to walk by it, going in and out of the house. I mean, when we ate, it was just right there. So it was easy. And so it was a high attention food. So we would grab a piece here, grab a piece there, the kids would grab a piece. It was, it was, and and and then we decided it was such a good idea when it ran out, because Halloween was still a ways away. We thought, let's fill it back up. And so we filled it back up and it emptied again. So, why can't we do that with other foods that are necessary are good for us? Because if we can have a high attention foods, in other words, what do we see around us, then that's gonna win more often than not. Is it gonna win every time? No, because sometimes that food you just don't want. You just don't want that leftover for the second night in a row. I mean, so you'll spend a little time to look for something and make something. But most times that that food that is high has high attention, you're gonna eat more often than not. So if we what do you want to eat? So you decide that first. What do you want to eat? How do you want to be healthier? Maybe it's more water, maybe it's something as simple as water. So let's say you have to go out to the garage to get a bottle of water. And that doesn't seem like a big deal. But when you're sitting down or you're in the kitchen, then you go sit down, you think, I gotta get up, I gotta go all the way out to the garage, get a bottle of water. But let's say you want to drink three bottles of water that day. Why not put all three bottles on the counter in the kitchen? So that way, anytime you're in the kitchen, anytime you're walking through, anytime you're walking by, you drink one. Or maybe it's like, well, I know I lay in bed for about 30 minutes reading. So I'm gonna put a bottle of water there. I'm gonna put a bottle of water by the chair for when I watch TV or scroll or whatever, like that. I'm gonna put a bottle of water on my desk while I'm working, so I know I need to drink that by the end of the day. So you can have your three bottles scattered out, and now you've planned for what you want. What you want to accomplish in the day, you've you've already planned. And so it's visible, it's easy, it's ready. No matter if you're in your chair, you get your you have your water. If you're in bed, you have your water. If you're at your desk, you have your water. So you've already kind of planned for success. I mean, that's and that's kind of a simple one, but it's the same thing. Um, like fruit, like fruit on the counter, I want to eat more fruit. So basically, with the candy in the fruit jar or the fruit bowl, you're saying, I want to eat more candy. We we don't think that, but that's sometimes what happens. And and so maybe if you have prepped meals, they're in the front of the refrigerator. So you have to paw through all them to get to anything else. So there's just some ideas, promote what you want to eat. How do you want to eat, and you plan for that? And if you promote something, what do you usually have to do? You have to demote what you don't want. So, how do you demote it? You hide it, you move it, you add friction. I demoted my Reese's peanut butter cup Easter eggs. They were in the refrigerator, then they went to the freezer, and so I don't see them as readily. I gotta open it up a little bit, and so as I open up and I bend over, it's a little bit more work. So I think, okay, you're being a piggy. And then I feel guilty for eating too sometimes. I had a client the other day, she said, Well, I typically when I have them, I eat five at a time. I was like, whoa, okay. I was like, Well, that's significant, and I was feeling guilty over two. But I'm not judging you or anything, but I'm not judging you or anything, not not at all.

SPEAKER_03 21:30

You should feel great. You still have those. How long has I been?

SPEAKER_00 21:33

Yes, I still have those.

SPEAKER_03 21:34

Valentine's. Yeah, yours is really good.

SPEAKER_00 21:38

Yeah. But now I will I will say, even though I was judgy, I was up front and said, Wow, that's a bunch. I only eat two, and I was feeling guilty about that.

SPEAKER_01 21:46

So, and she said, No, I don't feel that he doesn't allow the grandkids to share them, though.

SPEAKER_00 21:51

No, no.

SPEAKER_02 21:55

No, no, that's not right.

SPEAKER_00 21:59

I mean

SPEAKER_02 22:00

You should share with him. That's what being a good grandfather would do. That's what good pee pee do.

SPEAKER_00 22:07

Well, he's got his own little jar of Hershey kisses. He's allowed one a day.

SPEAKER_02 22:11

He is. If he's good.

SPEAKER_00 22:12

If he's good. But I don't think well, he has never seen me get one to eat it, so I don't think he knows it was there. So we we have, you know, don't ask, don't tell. So that's kind of our policy. I mean, so when our son and daughter-in-law were staying with us when they were living with us, I had some ice cream in the refrigerator. And I came in one time and she had ate it. Like she had eaten my ice cream.

SPEAKER_01 22:44

And all the kids ate on it. She didn't eat the whole thing. She just took some backs.

SPEAKER_00 22:48

Well, she might as well ate all of it if you ate on it. And all the kids were telling her, like, you cannot do that. Do that is dad's ice cream. You do not want to do that. And she did. And it was, we had some words about don't touch my food.

SPEAKER_02 23:03

Yeah. Did they have to move out?

SPEAKER_00 23:05

Yes. I I might have put my name anytime.

SPEAKER_02 23:08

So this girl that broke them out after that.

SPEAKER_00 23:10

Yeah, so so anytime we, you know, while they were living there, if we wanted to, we would hide our food sometimes because we wouldn't want them to eat it.

SPEAKER_02 23:17

And the girls would write their names on their food.

Control Inputs And Preplan Meals

Quick Review And Closing

SPEAKER_00 23:20

Yes. That's how it goes in our house. So you demote some of what you want. And then sometimes we you control your inputs. You know, maybe it's your social media that you're scrolling through all the foods. Uh, maybe it's the ads, maybe it's the constant exposure of some of something. Maybe it's your always driving by McDonald's or always driving fast by fast food. So you go a different route. You control what's being input. And then sometimes you pre-select your food, just like I've mentioned before, if you want to log your food. Log at the beginning of the day. So you already know what you've already planned for the day. There's no no shock, no, oh, I didn't realize eating that or that much. So now you've already decided in in a in a planning state what I want to eat today. So your brain's not always scanning, like, what am I gonna do? What am I gonna follow? Where am I gonna go? It already knows. So so really the challenge is just to see the food you're eating, where are they? Do they have your dominant attention, which is it right in front of you? Are they just accessible attention? Are they easy to act on? Are the are they passive attention or are they invisible attention? Maybe you move some of them around depending on what you want to cut back a little bit on. Guarantee if those eggs would be in the refrigerator, they would be gone by now. Just because I've moved them, it helps a little bit. So that's kind of the challenge. Is if there's something you want to change, then move it around with your attention. How do you want to give it attention? Any any thoughts, comments, or questions about our hierarchy of food attention? Now, since we all know what hierarchy is, and thank you to each for joining us on Healthy Huddle. I look forward to seeing you right here next time on Healthy Huddle.