Many people begin the day with the best intentions. Breakfast includes oatmeal, fruit, eggs, or a smoothie. Lunch is packed with vegetables and lean protein. But by dinner, those healthy choices suddenly give way to pizza, burgers, fries, ice cream, or late-night snacks. It may seem like a simple lack of discipline, but psychology suggests the explanation is often much more complex. Researchers say our eating habits are influenced by mental energy, stress, biological rhythms, emotions, and the brain's reward system. While everyone occasionally indulges, consistently eating healthy early in the day before turning to junk food at night may reflect several well-established psychological processes.
Here are some of the reasons experts believe this pattern is so common.
