Food, Addiction, Eating Disorders

Bulimia, Big Hunger
 

Intro to Food Addiction

Trigger Foods

Binge Eating & Bulimia

Appetite Regulation

Alcoholism

Weight Management

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Here we look at the curious and biologically perverse phenomena, the craving for and the compulsive eating and drinking of foods that cause illness, obesity and obvious suffering. There is always confusion about the origin and nature of abnormal eating behaviors. Most popular psychological ideas are probably wrong since eating is based on old primitive programs in our brain and have little or nothing to do with the modern personality.

We are impressed by the constant presence of compulsive eating in many food-related illnesses. If we ask well-motivated people, who would not believe that they had a food addiction problem, to change their diet to regain their health, many will do so and report surprising success. However, a short time after recovery they will report a a relapse with loss of control of their food choices and eating behaviors. They will say "I can't believe it - I was doing so well; then I ate some cookies and I couldn't stop - I ate everything in sight and now I am desperately ill!"

 If we ask a bulimic who would not consider herself to be ill about health problems, we discover that she has had symptoms of food allergy since infancy - colic, eczema, migraines, bloating, diarrhea and many other symptoms that came and went for many years. She tells us that she had cows milk allergy as an infant and still avoids drinking milk, but typically she binges on ice cream and cheese.

We note a distinct similarity of experiences in different groups of people with problems that look, at first glance, to be un-related. What links these diverse groups is difficulty controlling eating and drinking behaviors with adverse health consequences. We see the entire problem of eating disorders and illness disorders as different aspects of prevalent food problems in our society. Your version of the story will depend on which part of the complex you are most concerned about.

The main health problems linked by "food-addiction" are:

• Obesity
• Alcoholism
• Diabetes (NIDDM)
• Bulimia
• Food Allergy (delayed pattern or type 3)

The  secrets to solving addictive eating are:

• Identify and avoid trigger foods and drinks.
• Increase nutrient density with good foods and nutrient supplements
• Exercise and healthier lifestyle
• Personal development and spiritual growth

We think of trigger foods as the "bad guys"; these foods and drinks cause symptoms and at the same time trigger cravings and compulsive eating or drinking. The term "addictive food allergy" was suggested to describe the connection between compulsive eating and illness. You have to stop eating these foods to re-gain control and to recover from any illness they cause.

In the worse case, these foods are addictive and if you eat them again your cravings are triggered and you lose control. If we apply insights into this addiction process, we can arrive at some effective strategies to cope with cravings and compulsive eating and drinking.