The Pychology Of Eating

"You are what you eat"

"Food is fuel"

"Your body is like a car, you must feed it the right fuel in order for it run right"

"You are what you eat, digest and absorb"

Most of us have heard these phrases many times before, and most of us agree with them. Are they wrong? I don't think so. But I also think that in light of equating food to fuel, especially in the fitness industry, many of us may be simplifying things a bit too much or leaning more towards black and white thinking such as "if you are hungry, eat; if not, don't". Sounds simple right? It is really, but there is a lot more to the eating process then this, especially for those of us who have struggled one way or another with eating behaviors.

Thinking a bit more deeply about it can help us to understand our habits better, and maybe give us some insight as to why we may be having an issue with eating in general.

I've always been what I consider an "athlete". I was a long distance runner for 25 years, and only recently in the last 3 years or so, had to scale back and then stop completely, due to chronic injuries. I then discovered weight training and that has become my new love.

I also had a long struggle with eating disorders for many years, and was involved in many different modalites of healing in order to overcome this, trying to bring my body and mind back to balance. When I started studying nutrition, I realized that despite my efforts to improve my diet and self-confidence, there were many nutrient deficiencies present that made it that much harder to bring balance back in my body and mind. Now many years later looking back on my experience, I also see the psychological connection that had been present for so long that was hindering my progress.

What is it about eating that can be so psychologically driven? Why do we have "cheat" days or meals, and find it so hard to just eat healthy most of the time? Is it as simple as the food we are eating, such as sugar, that drive us to addiction?

If that was true, then we would all have eating disorders, even those of us who eat sugar or junk food regularly, yet we don't. We've all met people who can often just take or leave food for a while , yet for many of us, this is not so simple. Hormones can play a part yes, but is there something else that is going on? My drive to understand this dynamic led me to many years of analyzing my own patterns and habits, as well as my client's.

When we are born, most of our's first exposure to food is from our mother's breast milk. Our mother's breast is what brings us back from being abruptly separated from the only "home" we know, to being nurtured and protected once again.

We have learned to connect nurturing to "milk/food"; we have learned to connect feeling loved, taken care of , with our mother's breast, which brings warm, satisfying pleasure to us. And coincidentaly, breast milk is largely composed of sugars. Is it any wonder we often run to sweet food when we are feeling depressed, angry, or lonely?

Yes there is a biochemical component in food, such as sugar stimulating seretonin production, but I just wanted to propose another view that you might not have thought of before, that may have influenced you and your struggles with food.

Our emotional connection to food is one that is not often taken into account when we enter into a new health/fitness regime. We usually learn what foods are "good" and which ones are "bad". We call days when we allow ourselves to eat what we like "cheat" days. We count and weigh our food, macros, calories, and limit what we can put into our mouths, depending on the time of day.

All that control and discipline may work for a while, but it is hard to maintain in a normal lifestyle.

We were evolutionarily not meant to be doing all this measuring, controlling, limiting. Our ancestors ate when they had food available, and fasted when they didn't. We are biologically primed to be able to handle this dynamic, hence one of the reasons in my opinion, why we have insulin, who's main purpose is to store energy.

In our modern lifestyle and culture, we have food available to us 24/7, in the form of commercials, billboards, fast food restaurants in every corner, and grocery stores with a surplus of every kind of food imaginable. Combine this with a busy lifestyle, we can often claim "I just don't have time to cook", we overwork ourselves, get stressed, and the result is running to the nearest fast food joint to get some quick energy and comfort.

This leaves us in a never ending spiral of feast/famine and ultimately, declining health.

Many of my clients seem to have issues around food more in the evening, or night-time, more so then first thing in the morning, where they often make better food choices.

When I ask them to observe their emotional and psychological state at that time, many of them have told me they are "just exhausted" and the night-time is the only time of day they have to themselves, wether its due to work being over, or the kids being put to bed. They see this time as a time "just for me", where no-one is telling them what to do, or asking something of them.

This is an essential connection that must be addressed when you are struggling with over-eating in the evening hours; are you feeling this way? And if so, what can you do the rest of the day to support yourself so you don't end up binging on whatever snack foods you have on hand?

What changes can you make so you don't run yourself to the ground daily, and eating all the food in your fridge is the only "comfort" you can think of giving yourself?

How can we even begin to bring back balance to our eating habits and cravings?

The first step is awareness.

Awareness of our emotions, our stressors, our triggers, our reactions. When we are still hungry, even with a full belly, it might be a good time to ask, "what is missing? What is it I really want?" Sometimes the answer may just be " I really want that jelly doughnut!".

But even this is information: What did your meal consist of? Did you have balanced amounts of proteins, fats, and healthy carbohydrates? Was it a fast food meal? Did you eat too fast to allow the hormones responsible for triggering satiety to kick in?

Aside from the physiological reasons, we might be aware that we often have cravings for sugar just after an argument with a spouse, or after a stressful work day.

There are many different components to our eating habits and patterns, and just bringing a bit of awareness and questioning to those thoughts, can help us understand our habits much better, and hopefully, give us some motivation to change that rewinding tape to a much healthier version.

One thing that has helped me to slow down and enjoy my food more, is the ritual of giving thanks for the food I am about to recieve.

Giving thanks for the animals and plants who's life I am taking into my own. Giving thanks for the privilege of having such abundance that I will not go hungry. That is a big one for many people, albeit an unconcious one usually.

The fear of starving.

Where did that come from? Many of us have a fear of fasting for that reason, not realizing our bodies are evolutionarily equipped to handle periods of fasting. Maybe our DNA still holds onto that memory of how our ancestors fasted in lean times, when food was not abundant. Our modern westernized culture, with food so readily available, has put our bodies in constant "feeding" mode, so even the idea of fasting can trigger some survival instincts. Its fascinating to me how the simple act of eating can be so complex sometimes!

One of my favorite quotes is from Michael Pollan: When asked to give his best health advice to readers, he replied : "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants".

My own advice includes:

Eat slowly

Give thanks before eating, EVEN if that food is not the "healthiest".

Take a few deep breaths before eating.

Ask your body if its needing more food or something else, if you feel cravings come on.

Asking "what do I really need" when cravings come on.

Be gentle and patient with yourself, you only have one body, one YOU. Take care of yourself.

Be well,

Silvia

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