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It is easy to overeat – especially when we are not paying attention. Have you ever mindlessly noshed away on potato chips or some other munchies at a party without noticing how much you have eaten? That can easily happen. Especially in a social situation when there is socializing with other people.

We live in an eating and drinking society – many social situations are centered on food and alcohol. It is very rare that there is healthy low fat food at social gatherings. As one of my healthcare colleagues says, “You can go out to a party or dinner and yet, there can be nothing to eat!” – meaning nothing healthy or  nourishing. He suggests either eating before going or bringing a healthy snack of your own.

In my counseling work with clients, in West Chester and Philadelphia, PA, I routinely hear how difficult it is to maintain healthy eating habits – Mostly due busy and rushed schedules with little time for homemade meals. This type of lifestyle can turn into a runaway train – get totally out of hand. “On the fly” food is often high in fat, salt, sugar and carbs. They create cravings.

Mark Hayman, MD, author of Ultra Wellness uses this example – if a person was presented with a bowl of chips and a bowl of broccoli, what are the chances that the broccoli will be over-consumed? Right…no chance! Natural foods just don’t ignite addictive eating.

So, what might happen if you could change your palate? To rectify your sense of taste to what you find is pleasing, satisfying and good? Do you believe that is possible? It is.

Modern day foods are often processed and genetically engineered. They can distort the sense of taste and confuse the palate. Salt, sugar, chemicals, alcohol, dairy, food additives and overly processed foods are notorious for distorting taste. We get used to intensely flavored foods which are not real, but enhanced. Then something like a fresh salad no longer tastes good enough and seems bland. We grow distant from what is natural and seek out artificially flavored and altered “food substitutes.” Our taste buds get worn down and turn bland. They take a lot to be stimulated – making way for low nutrition flavored and presentation enhanced food products.

In a way, these foods can be viewed as synthetic drugs. After all, food is a substance that can be abused, and addiction is about high stimulation and intensity.

Cutting down on these “foods” is a start, but giving your palate a breather and cleansing to re-focus on real, pure taste can be of most help. A confused palate can make it difficult for your body to recognize true hunger verses a “hankering.” True food cravings for greens, protein, water, fruits, and other foods which hold the building blocks of health can go unnoticed or misinterpreted. Junky – fatty, salty, sugary foods can creep in as replacements and fuel powerfully addictive food cravings. There is an easy way to re-center your palate and recreate how you eat – restructure your mindset.

Make it a point to get more connected to your food. Next time you eat fruit, such as an apple, first look at it. Notice the color and variation of its skin. Smell it. Then bite into it noticing the juiciness, and the depth of the flavor – sweet and tart. Eat slowly – take in the detail. Feel the consistency on your tongue.

This is more mindful eating – getting back in touch with our senses and coming back to the moment experiencing what is, pure and simple – And, of course, learning to love it.

This is the way we reclaim what is natural and healthy.

Something that I have learned over the years in my work as a Behavior Therapist and Addictions Specialist is that issues with food and eating are often lurking in the shadows of other problems, including alcohol dependence, drug abuse, problems with anger and impulse control, and difficulties with overwhelming emotions.

When I assess a new client in my Philadelphia or Chester County based office, I find it immensely important to understand their daily habits of living as they generally complete the picture in understanding the presenting issue and what is keeping it going. Lack of proper sleep, exercise and nutrition exacerbate mental and physical health concerns making them worse.  Energy drinks, take-out food, protein bars, pizza and coffee are not staples of a healthy diet. They do create poor eating and food habits and distance from what is normal and healthy via reinforcing impulsive and “on the fly” eating.

Most people want to be healthy, but struggle with making the changes needed to establish balance in their relationship with food and eating.  First, a person must understand their own tendencies with food along with how they deal with stress, emotions and people, as well as making sure there are no medical concerns (endocrine, etc.) which may be negatively impacting ones’ behavior with food.

I have found that obesity and food addiction are related much of the time.  I also find it curious, however, that issues with weight – obesity are not challenged and inquired about as much as one would think, despite the increase in health risks- That many people silently suffer food addiction.

Obesity

Obesity is at the forefront of today’s health concerns and warrants focus, because it is linked to many health problems. Did you know that that approximately 65% of adult Americans are overweight and 30% are obese? It is also estimated that roughly 80% of obese adults have at least one of more conditions such as: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, arthritis, and cancer. There is then another tier of problems which includes depression, substance abuse, and chronic pain that can develop as a result of those issues. Studies show that 25-50% of obese individuals binge eat and that there is a 75-95% recidivism rate to obesity among formerly obese individuals who have undergone treatment. Obviously, this points to a significant epidemic. It also raises a question, “What happened to our relationship with food?” “What went wrong?”

Food Addiction?

The medical community, insurance and food industries all encourage consumers to exercise “personal responsibility” when it comes to preventing obesity, addiction, and chronic health problems. Self-control, better choices, avoidance of over-indulging/over-eating, and staying away from packaged, high fat, carbohydrate, sugary foods is emphasized and encouraged. Seems simple, right? Being informed and then choosing? No!

Food, like alcohol and drugs, is biologically addictive. Food is a substance.

There are specific biological mechanisms that drive addictive behavior. Addictive behaviors are fueled via primitive neurochemical reward centers in the brain that override one’s ability to exert reason, self-control, manage cravings, stop eating and to recognize biological signals of true hunger, appetite, and satiation.

Liking vs. Wanting.  Research shows that obese individuals are similar to non-obese individual in their “liking” of foods, but that they have a stronger “wanting” / desire/ drive for the foods they want. They are also willing to go to great lengths to obtain and consume them. It is noted that this may be due, in part, to neurological changes that cause a blunted psychological reward response to food – Much like how a drug addicted person might crave their drug or “want” it very strongly, long after they stopped enjoying or “liking” it.

Craving vs. Addiction. We all crave certain foods from time to time. Women are notorious for craving chocolate.  Some other common cravings include fat, sugar, or carbs. Food cravings are important because they play a role in over or compulsive eating – as they serve as “trigger foods.” It is said that our industrialized society ripens the opportunity for obesity, due to the availability and exposure to addictive food substances: sugar, fat, sweeteners, refined carbohydrates, salt and caffeine — eroding at self-control and ability to regulate consumption of these foods.  “Loss of control” is both a term and behavior associated with addiction.

Do You?…

* Eat when you’re not really hungry or eat as a result of emotional triggers

* Feel guilt or shame after eating

* Eat alone, in secret or hiding the amount of food your eat from others

* Feel out of control and/or can’t stop eating

* Crave certain foods only as part of binge eating

* Get a feeling of relief from emotions when eating certain foods

Evidence in Support of Food Addiction

According to a report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, up to one half of individuals with eating disorders (including bingeing) abuse alcohol or illicit drugs, compared to 9% of the general population. Conversely, up to 35% of alcohol and illicit drug abusers have eating disorders, compared to 3% of the general population.

A direct correlation has also been established between the dramatic increase of obesity and overweight population and the aggressive marketing, increased availability, and consumption of foods over the same period (similar to tobacco).

• People who are addicted to food tend to exhibit many of the same characteristics as those addicted to alcohol and drugs:Exhibit behavior in times of transition or stress
• Common family history
• Common brain chemistry (decreased sensitivity of dopamine-reward system)
• Low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, impulsivity
• History of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse
• Obsessive preoccupation, cravings, and secretive rituals
• Experience mood altering effects from use of substance

– National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University

There is help available – One does not need to suffer.  Counseling for eating disorders coupled with professional nutritional guidance and self- help programs such as Overeaters Anonymous and Eating Disorders Anonymous are the basis of a well-structured plan.  If you are concerned about your relationship with food and eating but not sure if you are addicted and or not quite sure if you are ready to make any big changes, help is still available. Effective counseling allows room to sort through issues and make new choices.

Memorial Day has passed and the launch of summer season has occurred here in Philadelphia area – the opening of swimming pools, barbeques, and the start of trips to the beach. Recently, I had overheard two women talking over lunch at a restaurant at the King of Prussia Plaza about their dread of having to deal with “the bathing suit issue.” Summer seems to bring increased awareness to weight, shape and body type, as there is less room to hide in warm weather clothing. Curious, however, that as a culture obsessed with thinness, we are the most overweight country in the world with 65% of adults being overweight and 30% obese. And, we often don’t understand the difference between having a few extra pounds on us, and being overweight or obese. This lack of understanding can get in the way of addressing food and weight issues, for as we know a solution to any given problem is only as good as our understanding of the problem.

As a licensed counselor, behavior therapist and certified addictions specialist, I work with people to help them change problem behaviors.  When I see clients in my Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia or West Chester, PA office I often hear about food problems – Especially, when working with addictive behaviors with substances or problems with emotions overwhelm and distress. Overeating, bingeing and unhealthy food choices are often a part of the issue are generally part of the addictive picture.

Getting it Right with Our Relationship with Food 

Food is our most significant relationship in life. It is our sustenance – our survival; equally important as the air that we breathe. Eating is the way we attached to our mothers bonding with and being soothed and nourished as completely dependent beings when we entered the world – eating provided a way of feeling safe connected and whole.  Growing up, specific foods and the traditions around them become rituals: a means of celebration, mourning, managing feelings and emotions, reward, as well as being with one another in a social sense. Food can also be used as a “social lubricant,” much like alcohol, sports, and related activities.

Ultimately, food is powerful – Eating is not a habit to be broken nor is abstinence an option when we have a problem with food or eating, whether it involves, overeating, bingeing, or restricting. Understanding why we eat or don’t eat, and why we choose the foods we choose, are necessary in order to stabilize this critical relationship.

Our relationship with food is a relationship that we need to get right.

In order to get or stay healthy we must identify eating patterns and potential problems that can lead to abuse of food, addiction, and chronic health conditions. My practice, Integrated Treatment Solutions, located near Lafayette Hill, Montgomery County and Exton, Chester County does not provide medical treatment, but does work with the behavior factors which influence human health and well-being. We know that problem behavior does not improve over time without proper intervention.

As we learn in life, solving a problem is not just about finding the “one factor” or cause, but the many factors involved which play against and feed off one another fueling the problem. Mending our relationship with food is no different.  We need to understand the biological, social and mental/ emotional drivers which form and sustain the habits and patterns we have with problem eating.

Living Well Weekly’s next topic:  Understanding Obesity & Food Addiction