Archives

Panic and Food Addiction Triggers

Dec18

One common food addiction trigger is panic. Panic causes one to stop breathing in regular breaths. Regular breathing, and especially deep breathing, is calming.

That’s why people say “Calm down, take a deep breath” when you get agitated and appear panicky. Of course, no one likes to hear that command even if it does work.

Someone with a food addiction and a breathing emergency has a real challenge on their hands. I was reminded of that today when I ran out of a formula I take to help me breathe deeply. Now I know to order an extra bottle of it and make sure I always have a spare on hand.

I was shopping for non-food items in a drugstore that carries food when I fell off the wagon. I had actually run out of my elixir yesterday but had expected the new order to arrive today. It didn’t, which added to the panic.

When your body needs energy, it takes whatever it can get. In the scrambled emotional state of panic, confusion is the only winner. You go after food, water, juice, or any other substitute for air and sleep.

When you are unable to take a deep breath, you can’t yawn, so you can’t sleep. Without rest, the body loses energy and food is an alternate energy source.

It really doesn’t matter what you eat because until you can get the rest your body really needs, every other attempt to satisfy the “hunger” fails.

Some triggers are harder to deal with than others, and some you just have to let pass. These are the ones you must avoid. There is really no other way to deal with them.

Stay out of situations that you know will make you uncomfortable. I’m not saying never take a risk. Food addiction is different. You have to stay ahead of the game.

Good health is a treasure and should be regarded as such. For those struggling with an eating disorder be it emotional eating, binging or a full-blown food addiction, avoiding lose-lose situations is imperative.

There is more than a positive or negative mental attitude involved here. At some point, we all have to take charge of our health and our lives and decide how we want to live. Only then will we have the life of our dreams.

Air is like so many things we can easily take for granted. I don’t have to worry about my having a food addiction like I used to because I like who I am and I have a plan. Today, part of my plan was missing and I felt like I was back at square one.

Thankfully, the rest of the plan is in place and I’ll be back on track in a couple of days. Wake-up calls are good.

5 Holiday Tips for Emotional Eaters

Dec17

Here are 5 tips to help make your holiday indulgences a little healthier.

1. Use Sea Salt instead of regular table salt to season your food. It is very well balanced with vitamins and trace minerals, which your body needs to maintain a healthy balance.

2. Drink 8-10 glasses of water per day to help keep you hydrated. It will wash away some of the fats from those delicious holiday goodies and can even be good for your blood pressure.

3. Eat 4 stalks of celery per day. Celery acts as a diuretic that promotes the flow of urine through the kidneys. It also relaxes the arteries to reduce blood flow resistance. Great for the blood pressure.

4. Eat half a cup of cranberry sauce a day. Cranberries prevent the oxidation of cholesterol, which as we know increases blood pressure.  The cranberry is a powerful antioxidant and great for your blood pressure.

5. Eat almonds, 25-30 a day. The best choice would be the organic variety. Get the whole ones since most foods begin to decompose once they are cut into. Almonds contain magnesium which relaxes the blood vessels and helps blood pressure return to normal.

Most people experience a lot of stress over the holidays. These are foods you’re going to have around anyway–nuts, cranberry sauce, celery for dips and dressing, and of course water.

Use them to help calm your blood pressure and make your holiday more enjoyable. Most emotional eaters don’t eat when they’re happy and calm. Like food addicts, they  eat when emotions are negative and stress reigns.

Add to your joy this holiday season by honoring yourself and your body. Affirm that you only eat foods that nourish your body. Repeat the affirmation with each bite. It will help you eat well without condemning yourself and your food.

Fewer Additives Reduce Food Addictions

Dec16

You’ve probably heard that processed foods contain additives that are believed to have addictive properties. Both nutrition experts and scientists have expressed concern over this, giving food addicts one more thing to worry about.

One way to tackle the situation is to reduce additives in food. How can you control additives in food? Easy. Cook it yourself from scratch so you know exactly what’s in the food you’re eating.

There is plenty of time to prepare a meal for yourself or your family. The problem is that we’ve gotten lazy with so many modern conveniences and a home-cooked meal seems like too much work now.

Why cook when you can pick up something at Wal-Mart for a few bucks, pop it in the microwave, and then have time to talk on your cell phone for two hours?

Sorry if that sounds rough, but if you can remember how great a fresh, healthy meal tastes, you know I’m right.

It’s still a good idea to read labels, but you don’t have to give up the flavor of the foods you enjoy. Getting past your food addiction does require some lifestyle changes.  Make your food user-friendly so you can enjoy it more.

Let me share with you one of my secret formulas for creating healthy, great tasting food.  Vigo Balsalmic Vinegar. That’s it. Here’s how it works.

Meats are acid foods. Spaghetti sauce and anything with a tomato base is acidic. They’re not the only acid foods but let’s start with them because so many people eat them.

Acid-forming foods create mucus in the body and slime up your system. It sounds gross because it is. They form gas and cause bloating.

When you fry meats or fish in grease or oil, the fat changes composition at very high temperatures. Is it any wonder you have heartburn after you eat?

So here is how I use my secret remedy. When I cook spaghetti sauce, I add a quarter of a cup of balsamic vinegar to the sauce.

Instead of frying peppers, I bake them at 350 degrees soaked in balsamic vinegar.  Did you know that there is an acidic oil in peppers? I found out only recently from the Poison Control Center.

When you pour balsamic vinegar over peppers and pop them into the oven, they get a sweet taste as if they’ve been cooked in a sauce. You can eat every one of them without developing heartburn.

Baking chicken, pot roast, pork roast, or fish drenched in balsamic vinegar and adding Mrs. Dash or herb salt, fresh ground pepper or your favorite seasoning gives it that “special sauce” taste. Add some fresh lemon juice to the fish while it’s baking and the sauce it creates is incredible.

Marinate hamburgers in balsamic vinegar before grilling them and you can add mustard, catsup, and onions and enjoy them without gas or a bloated feeling.

Here’s the best part. Even though you are using the same base formula for these dishes, each of them will have its own unique taste. And because you are using your own healthful seasonings, you won’t have to worry about artificial ingredients, dyes, MSG and other additives.

It’s a win-win situation all around. Using balsamic vinegar in this way is a simple, inexpensive way to create delicious meals and start stepping back from your food addictions.

Food Addiction and Fa-La-La

Dec15

‘Tis the season for eating, drinking, and being merry. All that Fa-la-la-ing can really shake up the routine. And why not?

Fighting food addiction in a festive season where feelings are mixed, spirits are are high, and food is everywhere can be an un-winnable battle.

In that case, why fight it? What’s wrong with just enjoying the festivities without worrying about all the what ifs that no one can do anything about anyway?

If you’re going to have feelings, have warm, happy ones, and share them as often as possible. If you’re going to eat, eat responsibly.

One thing that is becoming more and more common during the holiday season is the amount of stress associated with all the good cheer.

How about using some of that good cheer to your benefit this year? You will eat, and maybe you’ll overeat–most people do during the holidays. But don’t let old negative feelings drive you to feed your food addiction.

Instead, be light of heart. Feed your spirit. Nourish the best in yourself. Soon enough it will a new year. Save your resolutions until then. For now, eat well, drink responsibly, and be merry every chance you get.