One of the particularly hard things about food is that we can’t just get rid of it completely – we can’t quit food “cold turkey” and/or avoid the triggers in the same way we could attempt to do with other addictions. The fact is – we still need food to live. An extreme approach to food in both directions- whether it be eating too much or too little can have devastating consequences on our long-term health if we don’t learn to change our behaviour. Just as there risk factors associated with “Out of Control” eating behaviours especially to our physical health, focusing too much on trying to CONTROL our cravings and beating ourselves up when we “fall off the wagon” is not only unhelpful but can create further problems within the domains of our emotional health.

“Mistakes” can be made and its still ok to enjoy your food! Problems with overeating high calorie, processed foods and/or junk foods on a frequent basis often stem from emotional eating. Therefore it is important to get to the root of the problem and the craving rather than just trying to control the craving. What is also important here is to develop new strategies for “coping” with our own various emotional states. It is helpful is to understand the emotional connections that we may have built with food over the years and learn strategies for how we can better understand ourselves and our cravings so that we desire healthier foods. By doing this we are also able to learn to relax and enjoy the occasional treat without shame and regret.

A healthy attitude to eating includes a balanced approach and an ability to ENJOY. We have pulled together the following information with the festive season in mind so that you feel equipped to get the most out of the celebratory time you have with your family and friends this December and New Year minus the guilt!

The feeling-food connection

It is a common misconception that we eat because we feel hungry. As explained on PsychCentral, true hunger is something we rarely allow ourselves to feel. True hunger is “the painful sensation or state of weakness caused by need of food”, however our cues to eat are not usually this pain. We experience a number of triggers that entice us to eat from various external and internal stimuli, for instance, the clock, a scheduled lunch break, a dinner outing, boredom, stress, depression and anxiety.

Let’s focus on some of the psychological cues for eating and drinking alcohol. As explained by Dr Roizon and Dr Oz in their book “YOU: on a diet”, there are a number of emotional, psychological and neurological signals that can lead to hedonistic eating – an “out-of-control” response to cravings for starchy, sugary, salty and/or fatty foods.  For instance we know that when the level of serotonin, a feel good neurotransmitter, in our brain drops, our body senses starvation. This causes us to crave carbohydrates to protect itself from the misinterpreted starvation. Low serotonin levels are associated with mood disorders including depression and a drop in serotonin level is also often seen when we don’t eat anything for long periods of time. Eating small, healthy snacks throughout the day can help to avoid this and also assists in increasing your metabolism. Similarly research has shown exercise to be a powerful mood stabilizer and regulator. As discussed by Adam Fitzpatrick, a Sydney psychologist and author of “Is this it? How successful people get more life out of life”, not only does exercise improve mood but also helps to relieve psychological distress and manage physical and emotional stress and tension.