Overeating and obesity are often attributed to things like lack of willpower, metabolism, or genetics. However, a growing number of studies (including those in animal research) are disclosing that food addiction is real. You might wonder why increasing numbers of people seem to be addicted to food these days. As Word of God states in 1 Corinthians 10:23, “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful.” Weight concerns are on the rise and if we look carefully we might manage to determine why. The answer might help us find solutions for ourselves. Since it is often tempting to concentrate more on the problem than on the solution I am going to give you a solution to each problem here.
PROBLEM ONE: ADDITIVES MAKE US ADDICTED TO FOOD
Food addiction studies still reveal that there are certain additives in food that help addict us to the food itself. Certain foods, particularly fast foods, can be engineered to help make us crave them. The attraction of these kinds of food has us getting up in our pajamas to go to our nearest drive-through. Put simply, we’ve become more and more physically addicted to food, much the same way we could become dependent on nicotine or drugs.
ADVICE: Cravings are almost never for broiled chicken, steamed broccoli, or pieces of fresh peaches. It’s not that those foods can’t be delicious but cravings are generally for things like cookies, doughnuts, baked goods, french fries, etc. Clear your diet of unhealthy foods. The nearer a food is to its natural source the less likely you will be to crave that food in an unnatural way.
FOOD ADDICTION PROBLEM TWO: THE WORLD AND LIFE ARE MORE STRESSFUL
The speedier pace of life affects our weight. For one, when we’re stressed and rushed we’re more likely to choose unhealthy comfort foods. Secondly, constantly being overstimulated keeps our nervous systems in an activated state. By not allowing our bodies to turn off and relax our cortisol levels (cortisol is a hormone manufactured by our adrenal glands) get heightened. Raised cortisol levels make it difficult to take off extra weight, especially around one’s belly. Food, especially carbohydrates and sweets, can give us a little dose of calm which our adrenal glands no longer understand how to create. Therefore, we become physically reliant on the calm that food can provide.
ADVICE: In simple terms, relax. Shut off the TV, the computer, and also the radio. Provide yourself a little bit of quiet everyday. Breathe deeply. You will be amazed how many people who simply forget to breathe. A friend of mine explained that she takes a few deep breaths every time she goes to the bathroom. This permits her at least a certain amount of deep breaths each day. Adopt a Prayer and meditation practice. Meditation has been shown to lower elevated cortisol levels. If you need a simple way to shut down your body, close your eyes and notice if your eyes continue to be moving underneath your lids. Follow the movements until they slow. As you do, a feeling of calm will wash over you.
PROBLEM THREE: TALKING DOESN’T TEACH US MUCH AT ALL
In modern times it’s easy to believe that we are more emotionally open and mature. But merely because we speak freely about almost anything on talk shows and blogs it is not necessarily the case. However, the truth is that talking about things doesn’t always teach us how to deal with them. For the most part, we are equally as confused as ever on the way to handle our feelings. This leads us to looking towards food for comfort more and more frequently. We soothe and nurture ourselves by eating. For this reason we have been emotionally addicted to food.
ADVICE: The best thing that you can do to avoid eating and food addiction is to understand your feelings. Emotions are like weather – they happen then they pass. But the challenge is we take our feelings seriously which is when they become too much to handle. This sends us in search of the emotional comfort of food. determine what you require whenever you feel upset, sad, lonely, irritated, or nervous. Then, you will be in a better position to handle almost anything without food. Just like knowing the correct hat and footwear to wear in a snowstorm makes it a lot more manageable, learning how to deal with your emotions will allow you to turn to food less often. Remember, feelings aren’t facts. They don’t last too long.
There are so many comforting parts to eating that it’s easy to undestand that we would come to be addicted to that kind of comfort. Foods are so readily available . It’s almost everywhere and there’s a heightened focus on food. Yet when you concentrate on the solution more than the issue you’ll find yourself recouping your power as well as becoming the master of what and when you eat. Believe that it is really possible to fight food addiction.
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