Behavioural Nutrition Lunch & Learn with Alex Lazaroiu
The Brew is where London’s creative minds come to work, connect, and grow. We’re a coworking space for freelancers, founders, and small teams who thrive on collaboration, but our mission goes far beyond desks and Wi-Fi. Through our free Lunch & Learn events, we bring our community together to break routine, spark inspiration, and invest in the skills, ideas, and connections that drive real growth.
In our recent Lunch & Learn at The Brew with Alexander Lazaroiu from incorpor8.fitness, we explored how nutrition behaviours are influenced by psychology, stress, and our day-to-day surroundings, and why simplifying your approach can often lead to better, more sustainable results.
About our speaker
Alex is a former Master Personal Trainer at Virgin Active who has helped hundreds of busy professionals transform their health. Specialising in callisthenics, functional movement, and practical nutrition strategies, Alex’s approach focuses on sustainable habits rather than strict rules. Having lived in four countries and speaking four languages, he brings a broad, human-first perspective to workplace wellness. His mission: make movement and wellbeing accessible to everyone.
The Hidden Forces Behind How We Eat
It’s a commonly held belief that eating well is about knowledge, discipline, or motivation. But in reality, our food choices are shaped by invisible forces: emotions, environment, habits, social cues, and subconscious conditioning.
You deserve to move beyond “just try harder” and instead build systems that make better eating feel natural and sustainable.
Your Eating Is Not Random
The Three Layers That Shape Food Choices
Your eating behaviour comes from the interaction of:
- Psychology
- Emotions
- Stress levels
- Motivation style
- Identity (“the kind of person I am”)
- Social & Cultural Influence
- Family habits
- Cultural norms
- Peer behaviour
- Social expectations
- Environment
- Food availability
- Supermarket layout
- Advertising
- Convenience and time pressure
Key Insight: You are not “weak” when you struggle with food. You are responding to powerful systems.
Emotional & Stress Eating: Signals, Not Failures
Emotional Eating
Often happens when:
- You feel bored, lonely, sad, or overwhelmed
- Hunger feels sudden and urgent
- You crave comfort foods (sweets, snacks, fast food)
Example: Eating chocolate after a stressful day, despite not being physically hungry.
Stress Eating
Often looks like:
- Constant snacking during busy periods
- Eating very fast
- Skipping meals, then overeating later
The Fix: Replace, Don’t Restrict
Instead of trying to eliminate emotional eating:
✔ Add structure
✔ Eat regular meals
✔ Improve stress management
✔ Build small daily decompression rituals
Here are some examples:
- 10-minute walk after work
- Protein + fibre breakfast
- Planned snacks instead of reactive snacking
The Illusion of Choice (Environment Shapes Behaviour)
How food environments control your decisions
Supermarkets and food spaces are engineered to influence you:
- Eye-level products sell more
- Promotions trigger impulse buying
- Store layouts increase exposure to high-margin foods
- “Healthy” items at entrances create permission for later junk buys
You are not imagining it! This is deliberate design.
How to become a smarter food decision-maker
Before Shopping
- Eat first (shopping hungry = higher impulse purchases)
- Make a list
- Decide on meals in advance
During Shopping
- Check the lower shelves
- Pause before impulse items
- Limit your exposure to trigger aisles
After Shopping
- Make healthy options visible at home
- Prep easy meals in advance
Motivation is the real driver of long-term change
Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation
| Intrinsic (Internal) | Extrinsic (External) |
| Driven by values and identity | Driven by pressure or rewards |
| Flexible and sustainable | Rigid and fragile |
| Lower guilt | High guilt and shame cycles |
| Long-term consistency | Short-term success |
Strong Intrinsic Motivation Sounds Like:
- “I want energy.”
- “I want to feel strong.”
- “I want to age well.”
Weak Extrinsic Motivation Sounds Like:
- “I need to look better fast.”
- “I should diet because others expect it.”
- “I’ll punish myself for eating badly.”
Goal Setting That Actually Works
Weak Goals
- “Eat healthier”
- “Be disciplined”
- “Lose weight fast”
These fail under stress because they don’t guide your behaviour.
Strong Behaviour Goals
- Eat protein at each meal
- Stop eating at 8/10 fullness
- Prep 2–3 lunches per week
- Drink water before coffee
Behaviour goals beat outcome goals!
Self-control is finite (so stop relying on it alone)
Self-control decreases with:
- Stress
- Fatigue
- Emotional load
- Poor sleep
- Busy schedules
If your system relies only on willpower, it will eventually break.
Build Systems Instead
Instead of:
“I must be disciplined”
Build:
- Meal routines
- Prepped food options
- Consistent eating times
- Reduced exposure to trigger foods
The Robust Eating System Model
Fragile System
Motivation: Appearance or pressure
Goals: Vague
Tool: Willpower
Result: Cycle of restriction → overeating → guilt
Robust System
Motivation: Health, energy, identity
Goals: Specific and realistic
Tool: Systems and moderate self-control
Result: Flexible, consistent eating
Practical Daily Framework
Morning
- Eat something structured (protein + carbs + fiber)
- Plan food for the day
During the Day
- Eat every 3–5 hours
- Carry backup snacks
- Notice emotional triggers
Evening
- Eat before extreme hunger hits
- Create a wind-down routine not based on food
The Big Mindset Shift
You don’t need:
❌ Perfect discipline
❌ Extreme diets
❌ Food guilt
You do need:
✅ Awareness
✅ Systems
✅ Identity-based motivation
✅ Preparation
Final Takeaway
Food behaviour is about understanding how your brain, environment, and emotions interact.
When you stop fighting yourself and start designing your environment, habits, and systems, eating well becomes easier, more consistent, and far more sustainable.
The Brew is the perfect place to start your healthier work/life balance, with thoughtfully designed coworking spaces that put workplace wellbeing at their heart. We’ve got bike storage and showers for avid cyclists, and you’ll find complimentary Fairtrade tea and coffee and fruit in the kitchen to keep your snacking on track. Swing by on-site cafe MatchaMochi to grab more healthy snacks, lunch and drinks.
Away from your desk, you can destress in our games room (complete with punching bag, if it’s been really awful!) or head to our dog-friendly spaces, where you’ll often find a four-legged friend or two in need of pats.
