I was excited because I was getting married in 9 months, during which I planned on losing 40 pounds. I wanted to look svelte and trim for my husband on our wedding day. The months passed by pretty quickly, and alas, no radical changes were registering on my bathroom weight scale. It appeared that my food cravings had completely overpowered my desire to lose weight. That was the moment I knew I had a problem.
The subject of food addiction is a tricky one. Some people equate food addiction with emotional eating, and they aren't too far off. The problem lies within those intense food cravings that always seem to kill a diet. Finding out what food cravings mean lends some clue as to how to overcome them.
When talking about a food craving, we are talking about a purely physical phenomenon. Think about this for a moment: Do you ever crave crisp, raw vegetables during a moment of emotional or mental distress? I didn't think so; neither do I. There is a reason why food cravings generally are for foods that are concentrated in fat and sugar, and that reason is opioids.
Opioids are chemicals that cause a mild euphoria when they bind to certain receptors in the brain that activate feelings of pleasure. It is sugary and fatty foods that cause these chemicals to be released into the blood stream.
Because many of us are being subjected to these addictive substances at such an early age, our brains and bodies have developed a dependency on them. The longer we continue to eat these foods, the more we become addicted to them. An addiction can be determined when our brains begin to signal for these foods during times of "need".
Kay Sheppard, author of "Food Addiction: The Body Knows", describes what she calls an "addictive response". Identified need -- decision -- eat addict food.
Think of the identified need as the trigger of a food craving. When a food craving rears its ugly head, take a few steps back and identify the true root of that craving. Are you angry, sad, lacking physical intimacy, are you simply thirsty? Mentally note that eating the food you are craving isn't going to satisfy the problem, in fact, it will only compound the problem in the long run.
The subject of food addiction is a tricky one. Some people equate food addiction with emotional eating, and they aren't too far off. The problem lies within those intense food cravings that always seem to kill a diet. Finding out what food cravings mean lends some clue as to how to overcome them.
When talking about a food craving, we are talking about a purely physical phenomenon. Think about this for a moment: Do you ever crave crisp, raw vegetables during a moment of emotional or mental distress? I didn't think so; neither do I. There is a reason why food cravings generally are for foods that are concentrated in fat and sugar, and that reason is opioids.
Opioids are chemicals that cause a mild euphoria when they bind to certain receptors in the brain that activate feelings of pleasure. It is sugary and fatty foods that cause these chemicals to be released into the blood stream.
Because many of us are being subjected to these addictive substances at such an early age, our brains and bodies have developed a dependency on them. The longer we continue to eat these foods, the more we become addicted to them. An addiction can be determined when our brains begin to signal for these foods during times of "need".
Kay Sheppard, author of "Food Addiction: The Body Knows", describes what she calls an "addictive response". Identified need -- decision -- eat addict food.
Think of the identified need as the trigger of a food craving. When a food craving rears its ugly head, take a few steps back and identify the true root of that craving. Are you angry, sad, lacking physical intimacy, are you simply thirsty? Mentally note that eating the food you are craving isn't going to satisfy the problem, in fact, it will only compound the problem in the long run.
About the Author:
Need help with your intense food cravings?, then visit www.curefoodaddiction.org to find the best advice on how to stop food cravings for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment