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Beating Food Addiction
Unfortunately, this is a very real condition, but one that you can conquer. Most of us eat a bit more than we should now and then, but I’m referring here to people who develop an addiction to food – addiction is not only about drugs and alcohol. Food addiction is commonly called compulsive overeating or binge eating, where a person eats more than is needed and finds it hard to stop. A food addict often feels guilty and gets depressed, even feeling self-disgust. How does this happen, how can you identify whether you have a food addiction, and what can be done about it? Overeating can be a way to ‘bury your sorrows’, to deal with pain, abuse or loneliness, or seek ‘comfort’ in food. But there is another way you can become a food addict – by eating junk food. It’s highly addictive, nutrient poor (so your body wants more), and it becomes a learned behaviour. The more junk food you eat, the more you want to eat, and the worse you feel. The weight piles on and a vicious circle can ensue, leading sometimes to bulimia and even self-harming. In this stressful world in which we live there’s never been a more important time to eat whole, real food and eliminate junk/processed food. If you’ve been eating processed food for a long time, you probably don’t even think about fresh food. If you regularly eat processed/prepared food from the supermarket or takeaway food which gets put into a microwave for convenience, you may be in this category. Foods which are typically addictive are pizza, chips, chocolate, fried chicken from vendors, burgers, fizzy drinks and any number of other processed and takeaway foods. Why food makes you feel better Unfortunately, food addicts need a ‘fix’ and only feel better when they eat that food they crave. Cravings are part of food addiction just like any addiction. Foods high in sugar, damaged fats and chemicals stimulate the brain’s ‘reward’ center, releasing ‘feel good’ hormones such as dopamine – a neurotransmitter which gives a sense of pleasure. In time, the brain becomes accustomed to dopamine, and more food is needed to release the same amount of dopamine, just as a drug addict needs higher doses as time goes on to create the same ‘high’. Sex, exercise and eating all trigger dopamine, they are all part of a normal life therefore they are designed to do this. However, overdoing anything always comes at a price. The food industry know all about this, and getting you addicted to their food is now a ‘science’, sadly. Too much sugar is added say to chocolate, and this sweetness is then hidden by an infusion of salt and spices (even though you can’t taste them). In fact most supermarket/takeaway foods (including savoury foods) contain more sugar than a bar of chocolate. This sugar is hidden and goes by more than 50 names, but you are left wanting that food again and again as your addiction grows. This never happens with real, whole, fresh food! Studies have been done which show withdrawal from junk food–especially sugary food–is as severe as withdrawal from alcohol and drugs in many cases, including shaking, anxiety and a change in body temperature. Sugar is the most addictive of all foods and here’s the biochemical reason why: Blood sugar increases forcing the pancreas to secrete insulin, which then breaks down and blood sugar levels plummet Lowered blood sugar levels send a signal to the brain – more sugar is needed The brain releases hormones causing a craving for sugar, leaving the person feeling weak and agitated until they get their “fix” A sugar addict will now binge-eat on sugary items to satisfy their craving Are you a Food Addict? If you have any of these signs, you could be a food addict, test yourself – DO YOU: Eat to deal with emotional problems/stress? Obsess over food most of the time? Continue to eat, even though you know you’re hurting your health? Eat to the point of nausea and even vomiting? Feel you have no self-control regarding food? Ever lie about what you eat or how much you eat? Ever wake up at night to eat? Hide food at home or at work? Continue to eat even though you are really full? Regularly regret you have eaten as much as you have? Feel angry or aggressive if you cannot get the food you crave? If you answered yes to 3 or more of these, you may have an addiction and should seek help. Food Addiction has Health Consequences There are consequences both long and short term but you are worth rescuing from an addiction. The consequences are both physical and psychological and include: Damage to the gut Insomnia Anxiety and depression Obesity Type II diabetes Osteoarthritis Gastrointestinal problems Heart disease Hypertension Gallbladder disease Overcoming Addiction Whatever the cause – whether social, genetic, junk food or any other cause, the bottom line is this: changing what goes into your mouth. Like alcohol and drugs, ‘cold turkey’ may be difficult so take it slowly – but set a goal, depending on how severe your situation is. Food is essential to survival so stopping food of course is out of the question – it’s not the same as smoking. New behaviours need to be learned. So here are a few ideas you might want to consider: Learn more about healthy food, and how it benefits the body and removes cravings. A good start is my book 63 Days to Optimum Health, which teaches you over a period of time to change bad eating habits into good ones. If you want to embrace a new way of eating, consider the low carbohydrate, higher healthy fat lifestyle – it is still the most successful of all eating plans for weight loss and excellent health. If you can’t get there quite yet, try the Paleo eating plan. Eliminate sugar from your diet – you can include Keto Sweet Zero which tastes identical to sugar but without the dangers. (And please do not eat fructose as a sweetener, it is a desperately dangerous alternative. So are artificial sweeteners) Avoid fruit for the first month – or have just ½ cup blueberries as your fruit for the day Don’t go on diet! Follow the eating plans recommended in points #1 & 2 above, but don’t actively diet. Just learn to eat WHOLE, real, fresh food as it occurs in nature Substitute. In the early days if you are an “all day eater” and it’s usually chocolate, then substitute fresh raw nuts for chocolate instead. Begin slowly reducing portion sizes – use a smaller plate. Only eat when you are hungry – if you must snack, make it healthy, whole food Try to only eat 3 meals a day – get to this point as soon as you can, without snacks Stop all fizzy drinks – get used to water, but tea and coffee are fine too Remove temptation – don’t buy it and it won’t be in the house to eat later. Purge your cupboards of tempting food and replace them with healthy food alternatives Always cook your own food from scratch This will all take time, but start now – why wait for new year’s resolutions, start today for a better 2021 where you truly take control of your body if you have found you are struggling with food addiction. One thing you will find helps with food addiction dramatically – L-Glutamine! It’s the most marvelous way to quell cravings and appetite!
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Speed up your healing – dump gluten
Lack of essential and bioavailable proteins are a major contributing factor to persistent illness especially in those with gluten sensitivity. Protein is the main ingredient your body uses to build immune antibodies as well as heal inflamed structural tissues and muscles. Protein hence helps speed up your healing. These functions are vital for the following reasons: Antibody production, essential to combat infection, chemical toxins and allergies. Research shows that antibody deficiency is a common phenomenon in those with gluten sensitivity. Lack of these vital proteins puts you at risk for multiple chronic health issues. Muscles are required for movement of the frame. As part of this process, muscle serves as a pumping system for your lymphatic vessels. These vessels are crucial because they help the body transport immune cells and antibodies. They also help remove damaging toxins. Research also shows that a large majority of those with gluten sensitivity have poor muscle to fat ratios. Gluten Destroys Muscle & Causes Protein Wasting One of the most common side effects of gluten is inflammation in the muscles and joints, as gluten proteins create an inflammatory reaction in these tissues that over time leads to many negative outcomes such as: Muscle pain Muscle atrophy (loss) Joint pain and arthritis Weight gain (increased visceral fat – especially belly fat) Weight loss (due to muscle atrophy) – the worst kind of weight loss Restricted mobility Increased risk for injury in those trying to exercise Gluten consumption leads to body protein disruption in several ways and prevents speeding up your healing: Inflammation – Gluten can cause the immune system to literally attack the muscle and joints leading to chronic pain and inflammation. A prolonged immune system attack contributes to chronic degradation of these tissues and subsequently atrophy of the muscle and arthritis in the joint. Hormone Release – To deal with this chronic damage, the body produces cortisol as an anti-inflammatory hormone. Increased cortisol leads to increased visceral fat (belly fat). Damage to the Stomach and GI Tract – Gluten can damage the specialized cells in your stomach and small intestines that secrete vital acid and digestive enzymes. Over time this damage makes it almost impossible to properly digest and break down dietary proteins from meats and vegetables. Many with gluten sensitivity have lost their ability to digest properly and develop protein and amino acid deficits. Gluten-Induced Gut Damage Can Make Meat Digestion a Challenge Many who embark on a gluten free diet still have inflamed and damaged gastrointestinal tracts. Some suffer with low acid production making it hard to digest dietary proteins. This is a big part of the “Catch 22″ in healing. To heal the gut, you need protein, but to digest the protein, you need a healthy and functional gut. The Critical Role of Protein and how it speeds up your healing Protein balance plays a major role body function. It is essential for proper maintenance of the immune system, the detoxification systems in the liver, antibody formation, muscle maintenance, tissue repair, digestive enzyme production, neurotransmitter (brain chemicals), and hormone production. Protein is responsible for building cellular receptors that help recognize hormones, regulate blood sugar, control our circadian rhythm, and control our metabolism. Too Many Carbs Excessive carbohydrate intake causes damage to important proteins in our bloodstream. This damage, often referred to as AGE (Advanced Glycation End products) is a major contributing factor to inflammation and chronic illness. Chronic inflammation leads to hormone changes that tax our body’s protein stores and our ability to heal and repair is minimized. The Problem with Most Protein Powders Unfortunately, most protein powders contain cheap and highly processed ingredients that is harder to digest and damaging to health. Others are full of artificial sweeteners and GMO chemicals like aspartame, sucralose, corn fructose, and maltodextrin. And forget the rice based proteins – they are devoid of nutrients, low in biologically valuable amino acids, have a high potential for arsenic contamination and most importantly contain a concentrated and very difficult to digest type of rice gluten. Other common protein options contain foods with severe allergenic potential. The most common include dairy, soy, and egg. All three of these protein replacements can have severe drawbacks. Dairy is usually a major problem for those with gluten sensitivity. Aside from it’ s allergic potential, most dairy proteins are heat processed and derived from GMO cows being fed GMO grains covered in chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These chemicals are known gut irritants and have been shown to alter the microbial gut balance and contribute to intestinal permeability (leaky gut). Soy proteins are high in phytates and tannins (compounds that inhibit mineral absorption – calcium, iron, zinc). Most soy proteins are also GMO and have been treated with chemical pesticides plus soy is a death-knell for the thyroid gland. Egg protein replacement powders are typically derived from chickens being fed diets high in GMO grain sources. The birds suffer from poor environmental conditions and those who are gluten sensitive often react to eggs from grain fed chickens. What’s the Solution? If you want a high quality protein without the drawbacks to help support your recovery and overall health, I recommend Pure Hydrolysed Collagen. Start with one scoop a day and progress to two scoops. My Pure Hydrolysed Collagen is non-GMO, grass-fed and pure, it has all you need to heal your gut. There are no carbs or calories, it won’t spike blood sugar/insulin, and is free of hormones and antibiotics. Mix it into water, coffee or tea once or twice a day, it will heal the gut in double quick time.
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Fitness training that suits your body!
Fitness is not a one size fits all topic and we all have our own preferences when it comes to staying fit. There are several different styles of training which one can use to achieve their personal fitness goals and most people choose to stick to the one they most enjoy. Here are different types of training styles that you can easily incorporate into your lifestyle! As an addition to all the below-mentioned styles, it is worthwhile mentioning that training your balance will also go a long way in improving your daily movements. Your balance is tested when doing strength training but further training for your balance could include practice standing on one leg and if that gets easy, close your eyes, and try it! It may seem easy at first, but it will make trying to wash the other foot in the shower that much easier! Cardiovascular training: This type of training can be defined as any activity that increases your heart rate for a sustained period. The following exercises can be incorporated to develop your aerobic fitness levels: Running Swimming Cycling Rowing Hiking Do all of these at your own pace and slowly build up the intensity of your workouts. It can be as simple as walking for an hour and sometimes alternating with a bit more vigorous exercise for a shorter period. It really all depends on your goals and your current level of fitness, Strength training: Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to only do weight training to develop strength! Any activity that forces your body to work against gravity can make you stronger. These activities could include picking up your children or even carrying the groceries. As previously stated, the key is to work against gravity. A couple of exercises that you can do also include push ups, burpees, pull-ups, and step-ups to name a few. Strength is a relative term as it means something different to each person. Once you figure out what yours, do more of it and there are plenty of options to choose from! Flexibility training: The type of training is arguably one of the most important types of training because muscles that are flexible have less of a chance of getting injured. It is also said that the more flexible and mobile you are, the better you will age and move freely with little aid. The way in which you can improve your mobility and flexibility include dynamic stretches as well as static stretches. Dynamic stretches such as wall running, high knees and hamstring walkouts are all beneficial to improving your flexibility. Static stretches such as a standing quad stretch, hamstring stretch, neck and shoulder stretches should be incorporated into your daily activity. Do the above for just 15 mins every day and you will undoubtedly feel the difference in your movement. We would love to hear more about your personal fitness journeys. If you would like to know more about starting yours, please get in touch!
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