So I have seen this posted many times since joining this forum...trigger foods. I see it has something to do with foods that trigger eating/increased appetite.

My question is, what are common trigger foods? And how do you know a food is a trigger food?


I had never heard this phrase before and am curious to see if some of the foods I eat are the reason for my, sometimes, overwhelming hunger after I have already eaten.

A trigger food is a personal thing. It's something that, once you eat it, makes you want to eat more than you would otherwise.

Sugary things and refined flours are often trigger foods. I've seen a lot of people who have trouble with peanut butter, too. But really, the foods that do that to you are unique to you.

My trigger foods tend to be sweet, creamy things, like frosting and whipped cream. I can still eat them sometimes, but only when my access is pretty limited (ie, I can go out and get a cupcake, but if I have 12 cupcakes in my house, I am probably going to overeat the cupcakes). I also have trouble with salty, crunchy things (pretzels, snack mixes, tortilla chips) that are in large bags, because I just keep returning to them and eating more, even when I am full. In that case, I can have a serving so long as the remainder is out of my reach (bagged in individual servings)

What Mandalinn said. She's pretty smart
Mine are peanut butter and fried foods. I'm considering limiting white flour as well. Try keeping a food journal and writing down what you eat, when you eat it, and if you're actually hungry when you do.

finger foods, for me. like pizza. or potato chips. i eat things like that without realizing i'm full, and stuff faaaace.

it's those things you can't just have 1 of.

Yes, it's definitely a personal thing. When people talk about sugar, candy, ice cream cravings I cannot relate. They're just not that exciting to me and I know I can eat them in moderation without any problem. I genuinely dislike cake and don't eat in unless someone (mom) is insisting on it. My one serious trigger food are goldfish crackers. I can't explain it since I'm not into chips, hate french fries, and think cheez-its are oily and barf-worthy. But give me a bag of goldfish crackers and they will vanish.

I don't even eat them quickly it's just more that I can't stop once I've started.

For me trigger foods are those that i have abused so much and eaten for comfort or out of emotion so much that i have lost the ability to eat them with moderation. They produce this craving in me that makes me want to have more and more and more. There is also another thing, once i pick up this comfort food bite, i just crave more ... of anything, it does not have to be the same. So if i start with chocolate, then i go onto ice cream, cookies, etc... My trigger foods are high sugar, high fat, high carb, crispy kind of food. Anything, you can think of except nuts or fruits, when i don't eat them together. It is not just about a particular food item, I am so creative that I can come up with new food combinations that would trigger me, but because i had not done it before i justify it. Last one was yoghurt with cinnamon and fruit, then i decided that it is blunt and added cream, honey and peanuts, it made me want to eat more.

Also for me, once I have this craving for more and eat more, i don't get satisfied, the craving gets worse and i can take me days to get myself out of it. So for today I run away and pray not to pick up that first one because it gets too painful.

Is it possible to have two types of trigger foods? If so, I think I do.

One is the "junk" trigger type. This includes any kind of crispy/crunchy snack food--cheez-its, goldfish, pretzels, potato chips, you name it. I have to be really careful even with plan-friendly things like crispbreads; one or two with a more substantial meal is okay, but eating them as a snack by themselves will make me want to unhinge my jaw and engulf masses of food whole.

The other is the "where's the rest of my meal?" type. Certain fruits and vegetables actually make me hungry if I eat them alone. Apples are a prime culprit; if I eat an apple by itself, I won't be able to tame my hunger the rest of the day. However, if I pair the apple with protein and fat--a little stick of crumbly sharp cheddar, for instance--I'm fine.

I don't know if being made ravenous by certain vegetables and fruits is psychological or physiological, but I guess the important thing is that I'm aware enough of it to head it off at the pass.

If you want to identify your trigger foods, you could try keeping a food journal and tracking how you felt before, during, and after every meal you eat. Writing it down can help you see any foods that you have weird reactions to.

Certain types of pizza are totally my trigger food (but not pizza in general, I can eat just one slice from certain places, or just one slice if I make it myself, but good lord if my family ordered Dominos). I eat the 1-2 slices I allotted for myself and while I don't always feel full after, I won't feel physical hunger in my stomach, but I feel this aching urge in the back of my mind telling me to eat more pizza.

If I want to eat it, I have to pack up any extra first and eat my pizza somewhere where the box of pizza is not. Same thing with sugar cookies. If I want one, I have to take one, and then go away from the rest of the cookies so I'm not tempted when I get the urge for more after the first one. Having a non-triggering food in the same meal, following the trigger food, usually helps me too, like eating a slice of pizza and then having some salad and eat it slowly. By the time I'm done with the salad, I know I'm full and I've probably forgotten about the crazy urge to shove the whole pizza down my throat anyway.

I used to have this same problem with chocolate and pasta, but not so much anymore. I can eat just one piece of chocolate and have the rest sitting there and not feel the urge, or I can go out to eat and only eat half the plate of pasta without having to box up half first. So triggers can be dealt with, but it takes a lot of time and effort.

Bread and butter are mine. I keep bread out of the house and my butter is strictly rationed (I cut it up into tsp size servings when I get it so that I am trained to only take one of those.)

For me, it's pasta. Once there is sauce on it, it's way less interesting but if I can get hot pasta with a little butter, salt, and pepper it is very very hard for me to stop eating it. I will eat till I'm MISERABLE and it's all I can think about. Cigarettes were not as compelling as pasta is.

Thank you for the informative post, and for clearing that up. Now that I know what a trigger food is I definitely know some of mine! Thank you.

Peanut Butter is definitely one for me too. I don't even touch the stuff because it's so high in points and I could eat a cup of it. lol

Thank you for sharing. I find that I have been avoiding trigger foods without even knowing it. Those foods that I can't eat just one of, I stay away from completely. Pizza, well pretty much all bad for you fast food. (Really everything but a healthy salad. lol) Any kind of cake or cookie that is a big trigger for me. Sweets are my downfall.

I don't have a food journal but I do track everything I eat (I'm on ww so I pretty much have to. lol) At the end of the day I always go back to look at everything I ate for the day and make sure it was balanced and healthy and I always reflect on the foods that filled me up longer, or didn't etc. I think I just wasn't sure what a trigger food was. Now that I know, I can already identify some of mine and luckily(or not, depends on how you look at it. lol) I already avoid them because I know I can't stop eating them when I start.



I LOVE bread and butter. But it's not really a trigger food for me. I can have one slice, or one spray. I use 35 cal bread which is only 2 points for 2 slices and I ONLY use spray butter. LOVE the stuff. So usually I do ok with those.




Thanks again ladies for all the help, tips, and information. It's nice to see I am not the only one who can't take even a tiny bite of cake without having the urge to devour the entire thing.

Ah, trigger foods...mine tend to center around chocolate, cakes, and greasy food...and I love it all! Trigger foods usually get me when I am tired, so I usually don't have too much of a problem with them unless I am exhausted.

Last night we went out for dinner and I skipped the dessert, but when we got home I was tired and found some oreos and had two of them...grrr!!! At least it wasn't 20 like I used to do when I was younger!

Oreos!!! Ahhh, those are a baaaaad one for me. Then I discovered white chocolate covered oreos and it was OVER. lol I bought a small box intending them to be for my husband and kids as an occasional treat and decided well I will try just one to see how they are. Boy was that a mistake. They are 10x more amazing than regular oreos and it took every bit of will power in me to avoid them until they were all eaten.

LOL! I haven't tried those, but now that you said they are 10x more amazing, I will have to avoid them -- I would probably end up chowing down!

Stay far away from them. They are way to good and waaaaaay to bad.