4 minute read
An Underlying Cause of Food Obsessions
BY LISA KILGOUR, rhn
Do you have a food that you dream about? That you actively avoid because you tend to dive headfirst into an entire bag/box/container and eat the whole thing?
If so, I have a question for you…how often have you restricted this food? Have you been on a diet (or several diets) that’s deemed it as “bad”?
Some research has come out over the last few years that’s found a link between restricting food and food obsessions. They’ve found that restricting food makes you feel obsessed with it. It was probably a diet (or 10) that has made you want that food so badly—it’s not a weakness on your part.
You might be thinking “But Lisa! I shouldn’t be eating potato chips/chocolate/candy all the time! They are bad foods!!”. Well, yes and no.
Yes, some foods have more nutrients than others. And there are foods that will trigger inflammation and other problems in the body. The longer you’ve said no to a food, the stronger your reaction when you’re tired. If you’ve said no for a day or two, maybe two cookies will satisfy your craving. But, if you’ve been saying no for months (or years), well the whole bag might barely satisfy you. And this food obsession might continue for days or even weeks.
I’d like to offer you a different way of looking at food, one that lets your body find balance and uses little to no willpower. This is it: eat the food you’re obsessed with. And eat as much as you’d like.
Your body knows this too and has no problem avoiding these foods. But your brain… well, that’s another story. Your brain doesn’t like the concept of no. Telling your brain “No!” to a food uses willpower. Willpower is a muscle that takes energy and eventually it gets tired.
And so, on a quiet night after a very long day, that quiet voice who likes to rebel against all “no”s in your life introduces an idea…an idea that you’re just too tired to say no to again. Let’s eat some of that favourite food of yours, you deserve it! (Your brain is very good at telling you exactly what you need to hear to get its way.)
LISA KILGOUR, rhn is one of Nature’s Fare Markets’ nutritionists and sought-after speaker and educator who helps people heal from diverse and complex health issues. She has spoken at TEDxKelowna and is the author of Undieting: Freedom from the Bewildering World of Fad Diets. Check out the nutritionist schedule on page three and book your free appointment today at naturesfare.com. Learn more: lisakilgour.com
How does that feel? Does it feel freeing? Or insanely reckless?
If it feels freeing (it is), go for it! If it feels reckless, let’s talk about this for a few minutes.
Here’s what I know—your body knows exactly what it needs to be healthy, and a healthy diet doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderfully healthy and healing.
Your body has no interest in eating enormous amounts of processed food, but it might ask for it because that food might help to balance a deficiency (like dark chocolate is high in magnesium), help to balance the body momentarily (like sugar and serotonin), or your body might like a moment of bliss and pleasure.
Guilt robs you of the balance your body is looking for, which means that your body might keep asking for that food until it gets a moment of presence and pleasure.
Or, there might be a better food to balance that imbalance, but the food obsession your brain has created won’t let any other piece of info through.
So, what do you do? According to the famous and fabulous book Intuitive Eating by Tribole and Resch, the fastest way to get off the food obsession train is to eat the foods you’ve been denying yourself. And eat as much as you’d like.
Yes, I’m saying that. Eat as much chocolate, candy, cake, or chips as you’d like. No limits, no restriction. And, there will be a point when your brain and body have had
enough. When that happens, your craving will get quiet again and as long as you keep eating it freely, it’ll stay quiet.
You might even find out you didn’t really like that food in the first place. It was simply the fact that you couldn’t have it that made the food seem irresistible. And, your body can now get onto the task of showing you the foods it would really like you to eat. Ones that are wonderfully balancing for your beautiful and unique body.
After years or decades of dieting, this concept may feel dangerous to you. Or, you might feel too out of control to try this. That’s okay. There are ways to ease into food freedom; you don’t need to jump into the deep end.
First, pay attention to your cravings with curiosity instead of judgment. What do you crave? When do you crave that food? Do you get any feedback from your body about why it might like that food?
Then, reach out for some help. A qualified nutritionist, Intuitive Eating counsellor, or therapist can help you through this process so your food obsessions can turn back into foods that you like but that no longer occupy your thoughts all day.
Going on a diet may seem like a normal thing to do—most of us have gone on one or more in our lives—but they can have long-term ramifications. By understanding how dieting culture has changed your relationship with food, you can begin to find a new and more balanced way of being. It’s food freedom at its best.
