“Are You Positive the Juice Is FRESH?!”
A story about Cognitive Dissonance in nutrition
Are you positive this juice is F-R-E-S-H?’ Inquired the woman, while exhaling the smoke of her fourth cigarette during the last hour in front of the sunbeds boy’s face…
This story is about Cognitive Dissonance and how this “mental squeal” can shape our dietary and lifestyle decisions.
It is an example of how we actively fight tooth and nail for our nutritional habits, even when we consciously know that some may not be so supportive of our health goals.
The story
September 2021. 10 am. Two women are lying on sunbeds on a tiny beach in Samos — a highly recommended small Greek island in the eastern part of the Mediterranean.
The sunbed guy approaches them and greets them in English with a charming Greek accent:
- “Kalimera! -Good morning! — Would you like something to drink?
- Good morning. Do you have fresh smoothies? Replied one of them, and her throaty voice revealed decades of nicotine and tar glued to her larynx
- Yes, we do have pomegranate and pineapple juices.
- Are they organic?
- What do you mean by “organic”? The pomegranates are from our garden back there.
- And fresh. Are they really fresh?
- Sure, they are. Real pomegranates, not from tetra brick. Why?
- Are you P-O-S-I-T-I-V-E? When did you squeeze them? Inquired the woman while exhaling the smoke of her fourth cigarette since she arrived.
- Not sure. Let me ask in the kitchen…
5 minutes later:
- “Madam, my mother prepared the juices this morning at 8 am and stored them in the fridge.”
- “I see. Not fresh. Then I will take a Greek coffee.”
- Medium or full sugar?
- Full, please…
Note: Greek coffee is a strong brew, non-filtered coffee, served with foam on the top and the grounds at the bottom of the cup—one of those that you can almost eat instead of drink.
The witnesses
Three German tourists and I, reading The Magus, trying to bury our faces somehow, somewhere, amused and puzzled by the peculiar conversation.
At that moment, a mental note:
Trying to balance the tobacco havoc in her lungs with an ultra-fresh, organic pomegranate juice is like trying to clean the chimney of a blast furnace by scratching the walls with a teaspoon.
The invisible mental trap
Why did that lady seem incredibly oblivious about something so blatantly evident to the rest of us?
She fell under the spell of what is known as Cognitive Dissonance, a “pebble in our mental shoe” that we try to get rid of by all means.
I’m sure that lady recalled having read wholesome recommendations about fruit juices and smoothies on Facebook or Instagram regarding the health-promoting effects of their antioxidant properties.
I bet she was wholeheartedly trying to heed these in favor of healthy aging and long life.
Most likely, not a single neuron in her brain connected the two actions to make her aware of their oxymoron-like nature:
- ‘This is my fourth cigarette in 90 minutes,’ and
- ‘I want a fresh, organic, super antioxidant-packed healthy smoothie.’
What for the rest of us overhearing that conversation was surreal -it crossed my mind there was perhaps a hidden camera among the stones-, for her it was the most natural thing in the world (like the very same juice).
What was going on there? How does Cognitive Dissonance operate in all of us?
What is Cognitive Dissonance?
Cognitive dissonance describes the mental discomfort resulting from holding two conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes.
As we seek consistency in our attitudes and perceptions, this inner conflict may bring feelings of unease.
This inconsistency between what we believe and how we behave drives us to engage in actions that will help minimize those uncomfortable sensations.
After all, who wants to feel uneasy in their own skin?
How did Cognitive Dissonance show up in her case?
Insisting on the freshness of the fruit juice was a way of soothing her mental distress, likely caused by not being able/wanting to quit smoking, despite acknowledging the devastating impact tobacco has on her body — not only in her lungs.
A no-brainer for everyone else, right?
As the saying goes, “you cannot read the label when you are inside the jar.”
We all have episodes of cognitive dissonance in one or another area of our lives, and nutrition is undoubtedly one of the most frequently dissonant.
Some examples of ⚡cognitive dissonance⚡ in nutrition
● I spend the week tracking calories of my extreme low-carb diet, ⚡, and on the weekend, I open the gate for alcoholic drinks.
● I go to the gym ⚡ to make up for the 6-hour barbecue the day before.
● I drink a liter of diet coke- a day ⚡and take milk thistle to detox my liver.
● I order an organic chamomile tea with stevia, ⚡after a two-course lunch + beer + brownie.
● I’ve been diagnosed with hypercholesterolemia, and I eat low-fat yogurt every morning for breakfast… ⚡ but my potato chips and microwave popcorn in front of a nice beer while watching Netflix in the evening are untouchable.
● […]
Where does this Cognitive Dissonance come from?
- We are humans after all
Resistance to change is inherent to our human nature. No one likes to leave the comfort zone: it requires a hell of additional effort.
And when that comfort comes from the ‘plate’… do not even dare to touch it ☝️.
‘I ONLY drink super organic fruit juices, freshly picked and instantly squeezed, but I do NOT consider going down from 4 cigarettes per hour to 1, while lying in this idyllic corner of the Planet’….
2. Admitting that we are not acting wisely hurts.
It’s a big punch ‘to the liver’ of our ego… -Ouch!
Thus, it becomes infinitely easier to just look for mental subterfuges to convince ourselves that we are the living image of coherence.
‘Blame the hammock guy’s mother for having squeezed the juice 2 hours ago, rather than consider quitting smoking.’
Our cognitive dissonances are blind spots in our behavior: it is far easier to neglect them and vehemently defend our ‘nutritional trenches.’
In those moments, we are not aware that we are both our enemy and savor.
Full disclosure:
Supposedly being a know-it-all about nutrition and healthy lifestyle who has it all figured out, ⚡ I tend to reach for Haribos- jelly beans- whenever I am waiting to board a plane (!).
Yes, you got the picture: a middle-aged woman eating gummies before and during the flight. ‘Hello, world!’
Now, your turn:
⚡Can you think of any cognitive dissonance operating in your nutritional system?
⚡Any particular one you’ve already overcome?
I read you 😊.
If you would like to read more articles like this about nutrition, emotions, hormones, and making peace with your food, you can connect with me here 👇:
● Subscribe to my MEDIUM Email List
● Connect with me on LinkedIn
● Follow me on Twitter
● I‘d love to connect with you!