consciouseating
End to Overeating and Dieting. “Emotional hunger often feels the same as physical hunger,” she adds, yet it might rep- resent an unconscious longing for pleasure, calm, comfort, excitement or distraction. It can also have a physiological basis. A 2011 study from
the University of Leuven, in Belgium, shows that stomach- based hormones can connect directly to the brain, setting up cravings for sugary and fatty foods, suggesting that we are hardwired to want the foods that provide the greatest number of calories in the smallest quantities. Sugary, starchy, salty and fatty foods also push the
Food & Mood A
Solutions for Emotional Eating by Judith Fertig
stressful day might have us seeking solace in ice cream, pizza or potato chips. Other times, we may feel a second donut or another high-calorie treat is our
reward for a task well done. Occasional food indulgences are one of life’s pleasures, but habitually eating in response to our emotions can cause weight gain and health problems.
Core Issues
“Emotional hunger represents an appetite, craving or desire to eat in the absence of true physiological hunger cues,” explains Julie Simon, author of The Emotional Eater’s Repair Manual: A Practical Mind-Body-Spirit Guide for Putting an
brain’s “reward” button, prompting the production of more dopamine, the neurotransmitter of pleasure and well-being. Dr. Pam Peeke, Ph.D., author of The Hunger Fix: The Three- Stage Detox and Recovery Plan for Overeating and Food Addiction, maintains that these foods also create a difficult- to-break addiction cycle. According to Peeke, an assistant clinical professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, in Baltimore, the more high-calorie foods we eat, the more we need the “high” they produce. Soon, increased amounts of foods like cheeseburgers, potato chips or choco- late chip cookies are necessary to help us feel good again. Handling emotions without turning to food can be a knotty problem, health professionals agree, involving inter- weaving physical, emotional and spiritual strands.
Physical Signals
One solution is to simply pay attention to what our body is saying. Are we truly feeling hunger pangs? “When we eat in the absence of hunger cues, regularly choose unhealthy comfort foods or continue eating when we’re already full, something is out of balance,” observes Simon at
OvereatingRecovery.com. Identifying “trigger” foods might also enlighten us, advises
Peeke. “You’re out of control if you have a particular food in your hand and you can’t just enjoy it, walk away and say, ‘Ahh, that was wonderful.’ Life’s okay without that particular food.” The key is being smart about which foods we need to eliminate
40 Collier/Lee Counties
swfl.NaturalAwakeningsMag.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64