Is Food Addictive?
Food can be a distraction. If you're worried about an
upcoming event or rethinking an earlier conflict, eating comfort foods may
distract you. But the distraction is only temporary. While you're eating, your thoughts
focus on the pleasant taste of your comfort food. Unfortunately, when you're
done overeating, your attention returns to your worries, and you may now bear
the additional
Burden of guilt about overeating.
While there is no concrete proof that any given food is truly
"addictive" in the clinical sense of the word, that doesn't mean some
foods may not have addictive qualities. A 2003 book by nutrition researcher,
Dr. Neal Barnard, called Breaking the Food Seduction suggested a number of
foods such as cheese, chocolate and sugar may actually "trick" our
brain into desiring it. For example, Dr. Barnard suggested a substance in
cheese, called casein acted like an opiate and could actually cause a
biochemical reaction that make us want to eat it. Whether foods are truly
addictive or not, there is no denying that food can affect the way we feel.
Consider the way that chocolate brings that "high"
similar to being in love. When you eat it, your body releases chemicals that
raise your mood and bring on a feeling of satisfaction and well-being. What
results is a vicious cycle. The chocolate helps "cure" your blues and
whether you realize it or not, your body says, "Oh, so that's how we fix
this!" leaving you pining for the food that brought on those good feelings
the next time around. So... chances are, next time you're feeling down, you'll
automatically reach for that candy bar. For those of us that would rather be in
denial than deal with our issues, food is a worthy scapegoat.
Any unpleasant task can be avoided -- or at least, put off for a
while -- if you busy yourself with making and eating a snack instead. A sense
of boredom ... or loneliness ... can be quelled by a special treat. Eating
distracts you from doing that unfavorable task, or, worse, from focusing on why you're really feeling
so bad.
Ways to Identify Eating Triggers
Although emotional eating is strongly linked to depression,
boredom, loneliness, chronic anger, anxiety, frustration, stress, problems with
interpersonal relationships and poor self-esteem, it can be reversed with
positive thought and action. Just like with any illness, the first step of
curing the problem is acknowledgement. Situations and emotions that trigger us
to eat fall into nine
main categories.
1. Social. Eating when around other people. For example, excessive eating can
result from being encouraged by others to eat; eating to fit in; arguing; or
feelings of inadequacy around other people. Often people who are under stress
will seek out social support, which is a great way to relieve stress.
Unfortunately for dieters, when people get together — especially women — we
tend to go out for a nice meal. Crying on your friend’s shoulder over a couple
of hot fudge sundaes, going out for a night on the
town and a plate full of fried appetizers, sharing a bowl of chips
with the guys as you watch a game, or discussing the gory details of a
nightmare date over cheesecake with your roommates (didn’t this occur in every episode of The Golden Girls?) are all social
forms of emotional eating. It can make you feel better in the short term, but
you may regret later.
2. Emotional. Eating in response to boredom, stress, fatigue, tension,
depression, anger, anxiety or loneliness as a way to "fill the void."
3. Situational. Eating because the opportunity is there. For example, at a
restaurant, seeing an advertisement for a particular food, passing by a bakery.
Eating may also be associated with certain activities such as watching TV,
going to the movies or a sporting event, etc.
4. Thoughts. Eating as a result of negative self-worth or making excuses
for eating. For example, scolding oneself for looks or a lack of will power.
5. Physiological. Eating in response to physical cues.
For example, increased hunger due to skipping meals or eating to cure headaches
or other pain.
6. Cortisol Cravings: Stress can bring on increased levels of
cortisol, known as "the stress hormone." Cortisol has a beneficial
function in the body, but excessive levels of cortisol brought on by chronic
stress can cause a slew of problems in the body. Among other things, high
levels of coritsol can create cravings for salty and sweet foods. In previous
centuries, this enabled people to bulk up on foods that would sustain them
during times when food is scarce; however, in modern times and industrialized
nations, when food is rarely scarce, this previously adaptive mechanism causes
excess weight gain.
7. Nervous Energy: When stressed or anxious, many people
become "orally fidgety." Sometimes this leads to nail biting or teeth
grinding, and often it leads to eating when not hungry. Many people, out of
nervousness or boredom, just munch on chips or drink soda to give their mouths
something to do.
8. Childhood Habits: Many of us have comforting childhood
memories that revolve around food. Whether your parents used to reward you with
sweets, fix your boo-boos with an ice cream cone, or make your favorite meal
(or take you out to one) to celebrate your successes, you’d probably be in the
vast minority if you didn’t develop some emotionally-based
attachments to food while growing up. When in times of stress, few
things can be as powerfully comforting or rewarding as your favorite food.
Because many people don’t develop more effective coping
strategies, this type of emotional eating is very common: people eat to
celebrate, eat to feel better, eat to deal with the stress of being overweight.
9. Stuffing Emotions: Another emotional reason that many
people eat is to quiet uncomfortable emotions. People who are uncomfortable
with confrontation may deal with frustrations in their marriage with a piece of
cake, for example, rather than with open communication. Food can take the focus
off of anger, resentment, fear, anxiety, and a host of other emotions we’d
sometimes rather not feel, and is often used for this purpose.
NEXT:
STEPS TO END EMOTIONAL EATING & BREAKING THE HABIT
