Breaking Free from the Food Scarcity Mindset
Have you ever told yourself, “I better eat the cookies now because my diet starts Monday”?
Or maybe you’ve grabbed an extra slice of pizza because you weren’t sure when you’d “let yourself” have it again. Some people even avoid keeping ice cream, chips, or bread in the house because they feel out of control around them.
These are all signs of the food scarcity mindset—a belief that food is limited, restricted, or off-limits. Whether it’s skipping meals, dieting, or labeling foods as “bad,” this mindset can create a cycle of cravings, overeating, and guilt.
As a dietitian, I see this pattern often with my clients. And truthfully, I’ve had my own brushes with it too—times when I thought avoiding certain foods would help me feel “in control,” only to end up thinking about them more.
What Is the Food Scarcity Mindset?
The food scarcity mindset is the belief that food is in short supply—either because it’s physically unavailable or because rules and restrictions make it feel forbidden.
You might notice it show up in ways like:
- Eating all the bread from the restaurant basket before the meal comes, because “I shouldn’t eat carbs at home.”
- Skipping breakfast to “save calories,” only to end up overeating at night.
- Stockpiling Halloween candy or holiday treats and eating them quickly because “they won’t be around again for another year.”
When I work with clients, I remind them: this isn’t about a lack of willpower. It’s about how your body and brain react when food feels scarce.
Physical Food Scarcity: When Your Body Doesn’t Get Enough
Physical scarcity happens when your body is underfed. This might look like:
- Skipping lunch during a busy workday.
- Cutting out entire food groups on a diet.
- Eating so little during the day that you’re “starving” by evening.
- Living with food insecurity where food truly isn’t guaranteed.
When this happens, your body fights back by:
- Increasing hunger hormones.
- Heightening food thoughts (you can’t stop thinking about dinner).
- Making you eat faster and more than usual when food is finally available.
I’ve heard countless clients say, “I feel like I lose control at night.” When we trace it back, we often find they’ve been under-fueling all day. Their body wasn’t broken—it was protecting them.
Mental Food Scarcity: When Food Feels Off-Limits
Mental scarcity happens when food is available, but you believe you shouldn’t have it. This can sound like:
- “I’ll eat dessert tonight, but starting tomorrow I won’t allow sugar.”
- “I can’t be trusted with chips.”
- “I already had pasta once this week, so I shouldn’t have it again.”
Even when food is right in front of you, this mental restriction makes it feel rare and more tempting. I’ve seen this so many times—once we put a “forbidden” label on food, it becomes the food we can’t stop thinking about.
How Physical and Mental Scarcity Work Together
Often, the two types of scarcity overlap:
- You skip breakfast and lunch (physical scarcity).
- You tell yourself pasta is “bad” (mental scarcity).
- By dinner, you’re ravenous and craving carbs. You eat a large portion quickly, feel overly full, then promise yourself you’ll “do better tomorrow.”
This is the food scarcity mindset in action—restriction on both body and mind, followed by overeating and guilt.
Shifting from Scarcity to Abundance
The opposite of scarcity is abundance—having enough food and enough permission. Here’s how I encourage my clients (and sometimes remind myself!) to shift away from the food scarcity mindset:
- Eat consistently. Plan for regular meals and snacks, even on busy days. This prevents the “starving at night” cycle.
- Challenge food rules. Instead of “I shouldn’t eat dessert on weekdays,” try “I can enjoy dessert any day if I want it.”
- Practice exposure. Keep foods you usually restrict (like chips, bread, or ice cream) in the house and allow yourself to eat them regularly. Over time, the urgency fades.
- Stay curious, not judgmental. If you overeat, instead of beating yourself up, ask: Was this physical scarcity? Mental scarcity? Both?
A Real-Life Example
One of my clients grew up in a home where food wasn’t always plentiful. She learned to eat quickly and finish everything on her plate—because she wasn’t sure when food would be available again. Later, dieting added mental scarcity. She avoided buying cookies, convinced she’d eat the entire box.
When we worked on both types of scarcity—feeding her body regularly and dropping the labels of “good” and “bad”—her relationship with cookies began to shift. At first, she still ate them quickly. But over time, as she realized cookies would always be available, the urgency faded.She eventually said to me, “I forgot I even had cookies in the pantry.” That’s the power of moving beyond the food scarcity mindset.
Reflection Prompts
- What foods feel scarce or off-limits in your life?
- How do you eat differently when those foods are available?
- What might shift if you gave yourself unconditional permission to eat them anytime?
Final Thought
I often tell my clients: the food scarcity mindset—whether physical, mental, or both—creates urgency, cravings, and guilt. Shifting toward abundance means consistently nourishing your body and giving yourself permission to enjoy all foods.
When food is no longer scarce, you can rebuild trust with yourself and finally find peace with eating.
If you recognize your own food scarcity mindset and would like support in changing it, I would be honored to work with you. Feel free to reach out to me here.
I have been overweight for a few years and constantly tried to be in a calorie deficit to lose fat. I eat 3 meals a day but I always end up binging on carbs or high calorie foods even when I try to eat the carbs in moderation. I end up binging for weeks/months and gain even more weight bc I eat until I almost throw up because I “won’t be able to eat it later”. I’ve had a binge eating disorder for a few years and the hard relationship with food never gets easier. What are some exercises I can practice to help?
Hi Riley, That sounds incredibly hard — and I’m really glad you shared this. What you’re describing isn’t a lack of willpower or moderation; it’s a very understandable response to long-term restriction and feeling like food isn’t safe or guaranteed. Anyone in your position would struggle ❤️
A few gentle practices that many people find helpful (none of these are quick fixes, and that’s okay):
1. Work on “food permission” in small steps
2. Eat enough, consistently
Even eating 3 meals a day can still mean under-fueling if meals are too small or low in satisfaction.
3. Practice urge-surfing with compassion
When the urge to binge hits, instead of trying to shut it down, try pausing for 2–5 minutes and noticing:
– Where do I feel this urge in my body?
– What emotion or fear is here (scarcity, stress, exhaustion)?
And last, Get support — you don’t have to do this alone
Binge eating disorder is real, painful, and treatable. Working with a non-diet, eating-disorder-informed provider can make a huge difference in healing the cycle of restriction → binge → shame. I am happy to help you!