Personality Cafe banner

Eating habits

1K views 15 replies 13 participants last post by  ImpossibleHunt 
#1 ·
I'm curious, which types are more likely to enjoy food a lot and "live to eat", and on the other hand, which types are more likely to be rather disinterested in food and more "eat to live"?
On top of that, which types are more likely to develop eating disorders?
 
#2 ·
Not sure I can qualify that statement, but I do love to eat. I've had to modify my diet because, before last year, I didn't eat enough plants (I've rectified that; most days I get 3 servings minimum of veggies). I stay away from soft drinks. I've even cut out beer (except for special occasions). I don't keep much in the way of sweets in the house. I don't put sugar in my coffee or tea. I drink a lot of water. I allow myself to "cheat" a little bit on the weekends, but I try to keep my week days pretty regimented. I also try to walk at least 30 min a day 5 days a week.

I don't know if you can quantify this by type. I don't think our cognitive functions rule us quite that way. I think they help us interact and perceive the world around us more than they have to do with our habits, addictions, and tendencies.
 
#3 ·
I'm undisciplined in a lot of areas but I'm very good with diet and exercise. I pay attention to what vitamins and nutrients I'm getting in my diet and adjust as needed. There's lots of stuff I want to do and so my diet is a tool. I think if I lost mobility and became trapped in my body, I'd have very little to look forward to. At that point, I'd be living to eat and not the other way around. Fortunately, I have my health and freedom. I think for ESTP's it's dependent on our relationship with our bodies.
 
#5 ·
There's a somewhat interesting article here: Personality and Food – How Your Myers-Briggs® Type Impacts Your Diet

I just read the INFJ profile and it sounded like me. I can't speak for the other 15 types, though.
The wish to try new foods is spot on. The most dangerous is a tray of petit four. I want to take a bite of all of them but then there would be a tray of petit fours with one bite out of all of them. Sooo tempting! They're all so little and so many and so many flavors, just a little taste of each, doesn't seem like a really bad thing to do.
 
#7 ·
ENFP here, not very foodie. I usually just have my main meals, rarely snacks.
I'm a slow eater, I like to take my time as I enjoy the different flavors.

When I'm under immense stress I'd forget to eat. In fact, I'd have no appetite. While working on my final project submission back in 2018, I have forgotten to eat for 48 hours (only drank beverages). I've realized how exhausted my body was the moment I felt dizzy during my shower. That's when I tried to have a bite before I entirely lose it hahaha
 
  • Like
Reactions: tanstaafl28
#9 ·
Seems spot on with the article:

The ENFPs Relationship with Food
ENFPs love the social aspect of sharing a meal with others. They love meeting up at restaurants or coffee shops and discussing their latest ideas over a favorite dish. However, on their own ENFPs aren’t especially aware of their body’s signals. This is because ENFPs have inferior Introverted Sensing (Si). When ENFPs are caught up in an idea or possibility they may forget to eat for long periods of time. When I was taking the MBTI® Practitioners Course, the instructor (an ENFP) spoke about this in detail. He explained that whenever he got caught up in ideas and over-used his dominant intuition that over time he would realize he wasn’t feeling well. Suddenly it would occur to him that he hadn’t eaten in days! This kind of experience is relatively typical for intuitive-dominant personalities.

When ENFPs are experiencing chronic stress or they have over-used their dominant intuition, they may experience a “grip” reaction. When this occurs, their inferior Si takes over, often in an unhealthy way. They may eat more than usual, but it is more common for ENFPs to exhibit inferior Si in other ways; they may become obsessed with organizing or cleaning or filing things away. They may also become hyper-aware of inner-body sensations and start worrying that they have a life-threatening illness.

It’s important for ENFPs to remember to eat and drink. I’ve spoken to some ENFPs who set reminders on their phone to get a glass of water or a healthy snack throughout the day. ENFPs are less likely to skip meals if they have something readily available to grab and eat without much preparation or distraction from their visions.
 
#11 ·
I'm an xNTP, and I eat to live. I only eat one, at most two, meals a day. Maybe that's considered an eating disorder since normal people eat three meals a day (at least in the US). I do enjoy the occasional meals with friends and family, but I eat alone 99% of the time. One reason why I rarely eat with others is that I'm a vegetarian, so it's more difficult to share foods. My typical meal is a giant bowl of salad in the afternoon with some nuts and fruits. It only takes about 10 minutes to prepare and maybe 30 minutes to eat, and then I don't think about food for 23 hours. Sometimes, don't eat for over 48 hours. I almost never go to restaurants because the foods are usually too salty or oily.
 
#12 ·
I spent most of my life eating out of boredom, loneliness, stress, etc., etc. I loved cooking, researching and creating recipes, and shopping for food. Basically living to eat.

Now I'm having some success with controlling my food intake, eating simple foods, and just eating to live.
 
#13 ·
INTJ here, I eat to live.
When I do cook, I prefer things to be quick and easy. But most times, I usually eat breakfast around 8:00am, and then I don't eat again until close to 7:00pm. That usually happens when I get caught up with something.
It doesn't mean I don't get hungry, I just don't make it a priority. I guess maybe that's why I am skinny, and can't gain muscle for the life of me.

Mind you, I do enjoy breakfasts though. I always prepare morning eggs using my own recipe, and I usually brew my own coffee. Does take a bit more time, but I am pretty slow in the mornings anyway so I barely notice.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I have gone throughout deep eating disorders between my 16s and 18s.

At home every day conflicts made me fly away to another country as soon as I got 18s.
Just before the Liberation, I felt into anorexia.
I don't know if this was the expression of inferior Si but surely linked to a toxic family who did not accept the expression of feelings (and other complications
such as psychological violence, manipulation and other great stuffs).
I was thinking it was my own fault at first, trying to find some logic and isolating myself deeply,
until I went to a psychologist and understood the dynamic of my family.
Eureka, the light came to me, or rather.... I was starting to see some light in this foggy tunnel.

Today and since a long time I trully feel at peace with my own body. I even took some lessons last year about ayurveda and cooking !
I treat "it" well, This is my place, this is my temple. I know how dear "it" is now, it took me a while to understand...

I wouldn't say I eat healthy every single day, I just listen to my body. I had been practicing yoga, that is a good way to keep in touch with what I call "the harmony process"...
And I don't regret anything, I firmly believe the soul chose a situation to evolve and learn experiments, for the best !
Without those very tough experiments (I spent two months into some hospitals when I was a teenager because I did not want to eat anymore)...
I probably would not be where I am now and be who I have become.
 
#16 ·
I agree and disagree.
Any type can have a bad relationship with food, but I think it is more likely for some than others.

Generally, I think types that are uncomfortable with using Si (types who have Si inferior or worse) are more likely to ignore their bodily needs.

Types who have Se inferior and Si demon have the worst health in my opinion.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top