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Food Addictions and Additives

Mar18

They don’t make food like they used to. That’s because “they” didn’t make it. We did. Where were the food addictions when food came from a backyard garden or a local farm or meat locker?

Where did we turn when stress set in? There was a choice, and usually it was a physical activity like shooting hoops or taking a walk around the block.

No one went to their room and watched TV or turned up the music or video game. If that were to have happened, you’d get a different kind of exercise like running to escape a possible “whupping” as it was called in the old days.

No one thought of eating to combat stress.  What possible emotional relief could be gained from shoving a bunch of radishes or a couple of ears of corn in your face? Now, if there was ham in the smoke house, that was a different story.

The thing is, when we ate food when I was growing up, it was real food. And maybe that’s why we didn’t see so many food addictions and so much emotional eating. We had real stress but we also had real food.

Added sugars, fats, salt, corn syrup, and all kinds of dyes and preservatives change the nature of food. Those additives may have something to do with food addictions, just as additives in cigarettes have been proved to have addictive properties.

One of the best things a person can do to get off the treadmill of food addiction and emotional eating is to start cooking. Prepare meals that don’t come from a box, bag, or can. Use natural ingredients to concoct your own creative dinner.

In other words, know what is in the food you are eating. And what better way to know than to cook it yourself?

To some, that may sound drastic, and it does take a little more work, but it is definitely worth it. Make some homemade soup with a few chunks of lean beef, a couple of stalks of celery, a can of whole tomatoes–they tend to do well in soups–a couple of onions, a carrot or two chopped up to sweeten the pot, and one or two potatoes cut into chunks.

All you need to season soup is an herb salt like Herb-a-Mare, some fresh ground pepper, and a little Mrs. Dash seasoning. You can add a small amount of balsamic vinegar or wine to enhance the taste, if you like.

If you eat this healthy, delicious soup alternately with whatever else you eat, you will notice a difference in the way you feel.

So, today’s tip is know what’s in your food. Don’t allow someone else to make every food decision for you. When you eat only processed foods, candy, sweets, chips, and heat-and-eat meals, that’s what you’re doing.

Do what you can to cut down on the additives in your food. It may help you to get rid of your food addictions and it will certainly be better for your health.

The Flu Can Have Positive Results for Food Addicts

Mar9

I am not an advocate of the flu and three weeks ago I was reminded why. Seemingly out of nowhere came vomiting fits followed closely by diarrhea. The assault was relentless and I was miserable.

Now that the stomach pains and nausea are gone for the most part, I can look at the bright side. I lost six pounds and the detox was very thorough, although I don’t recommend doing it that way.

Any chance for a person with a food addiction to change eating patterns should be embraced. It’s easy to fall back into a pattern of binge eating to ease stressful moments, and it only takes one of those moments to backslide.

Staying healthy and balanced helps to ward off  bouts of food addiction, but when nature calls, we’re at her mercy.

Detoxing is important to good health and that means cleaning out emotional garbage too.  Whether we do it on our own or get some health from Mother Nature, the outcome can be very positive.

It’s hard to look at it that way during the experience, but the results of my flu-induced detox are noticeable. I still eat mostly homemade vegetable soup with no real desire to binge.

Maybe that feeling will linger for three weeks as well.

Two Stressful Days in the Life of a Food Addict

Feb15

I’m not going to talk about the days, just the result of the stress . That’s how we size things up anyway, isn’t it? It’s the outcome that matters.

I don’t know what it is that makes a person feel so much rage against themselves that they engage in self-destructive behaviors. There’s a point when the incident that caused the stress begins to blend with the person who is feeling it.

I think it is at that point where the line gets blurred and we temporarily become what the situation has made us feel. Suddenly, the emotional tension becomes too much and we snap like a rubber band that is stretched beyond its limit.

Betrayal is a terrible feeling. The feeling of being victimized, especially by someone we trust, is so overwhelming that we bury it deep inside. We try to pretend that it never happened while our families and friends urge us to just get over it and move on.

But the truth is that most people don’t just get over it, because it isn’t something you just get over. Then one day the stress builds and the feeling reminds you of the incident that started it all. And you snap.

So what does all this mean to a food addict? Well, I can tell you what it means to me. I don’t drink and I am an ex-smoker. I never did drugs of any kind. My addiction is a food addiction.

I don’t know how a drug addict feels. I never will and I don’t want to. The battle with foods is hard enough to win. Sometimes I win and sometimes I don’t.

This week at the job I work, there was a constant, unrelenting low-level stress. I am a person who needs a break once in a while.

On the first of the two most stressful days last week, I took home a box of chocolates which I  consumed in less than two hours. No judgments, please. I’m sharing.

The second fall-off-the-wagon-at-top-speed incident was the following day. I took home a package of black Twizzlers. Two hours later they were gone.

Two days in a row of steady, constant low-level stress turned into unmanageable high-level stress and my food addiction took over. I wanted to sleep but I couldn’t. I wanted to exercise but my hours were too long and I was too exhausted.

I needed a break but there was none to be had, so the trigger clicked and I couldn’t get out of the way in time. Within 24 hours, I was back at the store but my shift was only four hours and I had gotten some rest and a sense of accomplishment from my non-store work.

My interest in food or should I say in eating compulsively was gone and I could breathe again. Mental and emotional anxiety were replaced with inner calm.

Unlike other addictions, a food addiction can come and go in a matter of hours with only the unpleasant side effects that usually occur as a result of overeating.

It takes a lot to put me in that unsafe place where food is my only suit of armor. I don’t offer excuses but I do know that I have to get back on track fast and break the cycle as quickly as possible.

I guess I have some work to do.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Feb14

Days that are meant to celebrate love can be a big source of stress. Stress is at the root of all food addictions so the Big Love day can be quite a challenge for anyone with a binge eating problem (and no date).

The heart creates certain kinds of emotions. The mind creates other kinds of emotions. Most people don’t go off the deep end with food when they are feeling good about things.

It’s when the heart energy gives way to the mind energy that we feel out of control. When a food addict  feels out of control, the response is compulsive eating, or binge eating.

Some tasks that are no big deal for one person can be hell for another. That goes for certain days or holidays, relationships, and experiences. Stress affects everyone in different ways.

While stress can’t be avoided altogether, it is unproductive to place ourselves in harm’s way by entering into stressful activities and relationships that doom us to failure.

Therefore, we must think carefully about how we want to live our lives if we are to be free of the pain and heartache food addiction can cause.

When we thoughtfully consider how best our lives can be lived and resolve to find a way to live in this way, stress will give way to a comfort that food can never equal.

When balance is restored and the heart is once again in control, food will not be an issue any longer. For a person with a food addiction, finding that balance is critical in overcoming the need to eat compulsively whenever we are stressed.