Controlling The Chemistry of Emotional Eating

by Maria Khalifé

There was a time in our civilization when eating was done only for survival. In our times, eating is so plentiful that it’s led to eating inappropriately, called emotional eating because we are angry, bored, stressed, frustrated, down in the dumps, watching TV, too busy, and not busy enough, getting together with friends. It’s no longer about survival; it’s about emotion these days which involves brain chemistry. Brain chemicals influence your emotions but your reason for eating as well, for example:

Norepinephrine: This is the fight-or-flight chemical.

Serotonin: This neurotransmitter makes you feel good and is targeted by antidepressants.

Dopamine: This is the built in pleasure and reward system. It’s keenly sensitive to addictions; because it helps you feel no pain.

 GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid): This amino acid anesthetizes you so that excess weight can disappear responsibly.

 Nitric oxide: This neuropeptide helps calm you. It relaxes the blood vessels of the body.

Balancing these chemicals requires a balanced diet. But if you have a diet in which sugar predominates, for example, you’ve got a good chance for becoming addicted to serotonin.

If you become more aware of your emotions, and you work to eat a more-balanced choice from all of the food groups, your hormone level will stabilize and your desire to eat the wrong foods will automatically return to normal.

Here are some tips to help you achieve normalcy:

1. Use foods to your advantage. Foods have different effects on your mind and your digestive system. Try turkey to cut carb cravings. Turkey contains tryptophan, which increases serotonin to improve your mood and combat depression and helps you resist cravings for simple carbs. Try salmon for moods. Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in certain fish (including salmon, canned tuna, halibut, and mahi-mahi), have long been known as brain boosters and cholesterol clearers, but they’ve also convincingly been shown to help with depression in pregnant women. Depression contributes to hedonistic and emotional eating.

2. Savor the flavor. If you’re going to eat something that’s bad for you, really get into enjoying it. Take a piece of dark (70% cocoa) chocolate, for example, to relieve stress and to reward yourself with something sweet. It’s OK to eat what you think of as “bad food” occasionally.

3. Get enough sleep. This can really help control appetite. If your body doesn’t get the seven to eight hours of sleep it requires each night, it has to find ways to compensate for neurons not secreting the normal amounts of serotonin or dopamine. And it does that by craving sugary foods that will give you an immediate release of serotonin and dopamine.

Use these tips to get your emotional eating under control and you’ll be on your way to a more balanced way of life.

Daily Bite: 5 Top-Rated Diets: Which One is for You?

Daily Bite: 5 Top-Rated Diets: Which One is for You?

Image courtesy of Flickr.com

There are so many diets circulated among the population that it's difficult to decide which ones work and provide healthy nutrition, and which ones do not. According to U.S. News and World Report, there are five top-rated diets that get a stamp of approval from the experts.

Dieting alone will help you lose weight, but regular exercise is the key to long-term weight management. Experts recommend at least 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise, like a brisk walk, at least five days a week.

The top-rated diets include:

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) - This approach was rated number one by the experts and is endorsed by the American Heart Association. It was designed to treat high blood pressure by reducing sodium intake. The diet is high in fiber and protein, allows low to moderate fat and is high in potassium, magnesium and calcium.

The Mediterranean Diet - This diet emulates that of the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, where there are fewer documented chronic diseases than elsewhere in the world. It allows heart-healthy fats including olive and canola oils and is rich in fish, seafood, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. A daily glass of wine is allowed on this diet.


Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) - This low-fat diet was created by the National Institutes of Health and allows less than 7 percent of calories from saturated fat. It also regulates cholesterol intake by keeping it less than 200 mg per day. Foods on this diet are baked, broiled, grilled, steamed or poached.


Weight Watchers - This diet plan is based on a point system assigned to each food, according to the protein, fat, fiber, carbohydrate and calorie content. Fruits and vegetables represent zero points and are allowed in unlimited portions. The number of daily allowed points are calculated based upon gender, height, weight and age. This diet has a commercial base and provides support for the dieter by paying a monthly membership fee.


Mayo Clinic Diet - This two-phase diet begins with an initial two-week regimen using a 1,200 calorie-a-day plan. Phase two focuses on long-term dieting, which can result in a one to two pound weekly weight loss. Fruits and vegetables are a staple of this diet plan.

There are benefits and drawbacks to each diet depending upon a person's medical history and individual needs. The one that's best for you depends on these factors. It's important to check with your primary care physician before embarking on any diet plan.

Going To a Doctor for Disordered Eating

I recently made a new friend I’ll call JH who said she was ready to see her doctor but she kept chickening out. She asked me for my advice on what to say to the doctor; here’s what I had to say.
First stop – psychologist, not a medical doctor.
Now don’t freak out over this thought and start worrying about what everyone will think about you visiting a shrink (who really gives a rip about this at this point since your life is in total shambles, plus screw ‘em, if they want to judge you so be it) The basis of your eating disorder is the way you think and the sooner you own up to this the better (and just an FYI in case you don’t know a Psychologist can not prescribe medicine, he/she would have you see a Psychiatrist for those needs).
Update 10/7/10 Reminder: mamaV is not a professional, nor do I claim to be.
I am not stating an ED sufferer should not go to a medical doctor. It is my opinion that a psychologist is an appropriate first step, with the next step being a medical doctor. The truth is that many of us end up in the ER or in a medical doctor’s office due to our physical condition, so in many cases the sufferer does not have a choice. However, when faced with a choice, I believe many medical doctors do more harm than good if they are not trained in eating disorders, leaving sufferers with questions about their illness & diagnosis. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard from individuals who are told to simply go home and start eating. Wow. Now that is great professional advice.
Would I go so far to say that eating disorders are 100% mental illness?


Absolutely. Medical issues are the side effect of our mental condition, and yes, at some point they should be evaluated by a medical doctor, but I would not recommend it as your first stop (unless of course you pass out in school from dehydration, keel over with a heart attack when exercising, or succumb to any other of the lovely ways girls tend to go down with this beastly condition).
Oh, that’s right. That will never happen to YOU right?
Heard it tons of times girls, don’t kid yourself for a minute that your body is somehow strong enough to take your punishment. I thought this too when I was a teen and 20 something, and now I realize what an incredible, stupid risk I was taking with myself. I thank God nothing happened to me, and that I didn’t do any permanent damage to my body that I am aware of, except for a herniated disc in my back from over exercise. But I remember when I was ready to have kids, I was scared to death I wouldn’t be able to since I didn’t get my period for such a long time. I know TMI.
So get your butt into the shrink and figure out what the heck is going on with you, I’ve got an entire section of the site that provides resources.
Oh…you don’t want to have a mental illness? You worry about the stigma of medication? Tell me about it.
To this day, I get a twinge in my stomach picking up my prescriptions at the pharmacy since I just know the guy is sweet as pie while he is silently eyeing me and the kids up in our mini-van thinking “another doped up housewife popping pills” (I am no housewife, nor am I doped up, but yes – I have to pop quite a few pills to get through the day).
Do I wish it was different?
Do I sometimes wish I could hack it without the drugs?
Truth be told, not really.
Because I’ll tell ya what. Life before drugs SUCKED. And I mean sucked big time. I am never, ever going back there, back to that spinning head, I am a lifer, period.
Back to you and the point of the post, I do think there is a point in here somewhere, oh yeah, here it is in a nutshell;
IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE AN EATING DISORDER, YOU HAVE ONE.
There’s no criteria to meet, there is no weight you need to get to, that’s all just a ball of crap. It’s about what is going on your head, you and I both know that, and a good psychologist is going to get that and he/she will help you get your life back.
Love,
mV
XOXO