Is Food Your Drug of Choice?

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Friday, June 12 2009

Are you addicted to food? Is food your drug of choice?

Let's look at food addiction and weight gain, and what we can do to break the cycle.

Symptoms of Food Addiction

Do you experience any of the following symptoms when eating certain foods?

improved mood or a pleasurable high
increasing amounts of the food are needed to get the high
continuing to eat the food even while knowing it results in weight gain
feeling powerless - can't stop once you have started eating the food
eating to the point of passing out (getting sleepy or falling asleep)

Addictive Foods

Not all foods are addictive.

Which of these foods would you say is addictive?

lettuce leaf
cookies
cabbage leaves
potato chips
roasted chicken breast

The foods we are addicted to are the processed foods that do not exist in nature. Here's some of the foods that our bodies are not designed to handle:

high carbohydrate foods
sugary foods
starchy foods
fatty foods
salty foods
junkfood
The White Stuff

You get the idea. Processed food is The Wrong Stuff. Stay away from it. Instead, eat The Right Stuff -- the bountiful variety of foods that nature provided for us to eat.

Why Do We Eat Addictive Foods?

For many people, processed food is their drug of choice. The reasons people eat and get addicted to processed foods include:

to relieve stress
to relieve anxiety
to feel calm
to numb loneliness or emptiness
to stuff down troublesome issues instead of dealing with them
to reward ourselves

Is food your best friend? It's time to stop emotional eating. Take some time to think about when and why you turn to sugary, starchy processed food.

Breaking the Food Addiction Cycle

The first step to breaking the food addiction cycle is to acknowledge the problem. That's a huge step. Next, try these tips:

clean out the cupboards - throw away all addictive foods (high carbohydrate sugary/starchy foods, processed foods, junkfood)
keep a food diary - watch for patterns, i.e., when and why you are tempted to eat addictive foods
eat at the table only - never eat in the car, while watching TV, walking, working or playing
go for a walk around the block to get the cobwebs out
when stressed, breathe deeply for several minutes, calm down, and then decide how you will handle the issue that is stressing you

Remember: it takes time to break a bad habit. As time goes by it gets easier. So don't give up - stick with it. You'll feel so much better when you break the addictive food cycle.