How To Beat Food Addiction

Beverley Glazer
Sep 8, 2018 · 3 min read

Beware: Food Addiction Is Real!

Yes, certain foods can be addictive and can give you a ‘quick high’ ~ not a high like meth or cocaine, but they can lift you temporarily by hitting the same pleasure centers in your brain.

Fast foods contain sugar, salt, white flour and they’re ‘doctored’ with additives. And when you get used to that ‘feel-good feeling’, of course, you will want more. Fast foods bring out ‘the kid’ in you. They have ‘happy meals’, ‘give-aways’, and bright colors to attract you. Your mind always goes back to the pleasures of childhood ~ and they’re convenient and accessible too.

They are high in calories and low on nutrition but you keep on coming back for more.

FACT: The taste sensations of fast and processed food have been altered.

This ‘doctored’ food can be richer and more tempting than anything nature intended. And when we become accustomed to this ‘super-taste’ sensations, let’s face it, how can a peach compare with a chocolate fudge sundae? Or sweet potatoes and beans match up to fast-food a burger and fries?

When you eat these foods, the neurotransmitter dopamine, gets hijacked in your brain; your insulin level goes up and you’ll feel good. But when it passes that’s when cravings set in, and you’ll want more. This is how processed food can become addictive, and believe me, these cravings are very real. One client told me she that whenever she passed a particular fast-food sign on her drive home from work, she would get them. And it didn’t matter if she was hungry, she felt the need to eat.

Here’s the up-side ~ you don’t need a rehab for food addiction!

Return to healthy unprocessed food and your cravings will disappear.

6 Ways To Beat Your Food Addiction

Have healthy snacks available:

If you know that you’ll be hungry on the drive home, or you know that you’re staying late at work, bring healthy snacks with you. Keep fresh fruit, nuts, cheese, yogurt etc. within easy access for relieving temptation, to grab the easiest food at the ‘dangerous’ times.

Don’t skip meals:

When you’re hungry, you’re most likely to eat without thinking. Avoid vending machines or take-outs, make smoothies for a quick breakfast, and pack home-made lunches. When you skip meals, you may not feel your hunger queues. But when your appetite returns, you’ll be more vulnerable to resist unhealthy food.

Eat mindfully:

You will make better choices if you eat slowly. You will also feel more satisfied with what you eat and that’s when you’ll nibble past meal times and be tempted to eat packaged snacks.

Drink water:

Aim to drink at six to eight glasses of water a day ~ more on those active gym days. A quick tip is to notice the clarity of your urine. If it’s clear or very light, you probably are drinking what you need.

Relax:

Breathing is your body’s way to energize you and relieve your stress. Take a few minutes a few times a day to calm yourself. We tend to be more impulsive and make bad choices when we’re stressed.

Set limits:

Set boundaries in your personal life and your work life as well. Answer emails at set times, take phone calls and texts in priorities. Don’t allow your work to blend into your personal time. Enjoy friends and family but remember to take time out for yourself too. You need a life/work balance, to enjoy a productive and positive life.

Healthy food conquers food addiction

Processed food can be addictive because the additives give you a ‘high’. But, it’s only a temporary ‘feel-good’ feeling. A lasting ‘feel-good’ feeling comes from eating healthy food for life.

Have you conquered a food addiction??

Let’s connect on Instagram |Facebook and in my FB Groups: EmotionalEating:Tips and Tricks to Stop and WomenOver50Rock

(originally published on ReinventImpossible.com )

Beverley Glazer

Written by

Beverley Glazer Empowerment Expert provides 27+yrs of counseling experience to coach women in transition to age powerfully & increase their networth & selfworth

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