For many of us, food is the ultimate love of our life. This goes overboard without our knowledge. We, upon deep reflection, find that we eat more then we planned. Or eat not because we are hungry but out of boredom or just a desire to pop something sweet into our mouths. We even go so far as to ignore those food we know are not good for us just because we feel we cannot resist them.
These actions might be pointers to food addiction which, like any other addiction, is difficult but not impossible to have control over.
Here are some tips that would aid anyone who feels they need to reduce the hold food has over them,
Understand that food addiction is a problem:
As I said earlier, we rarely know the moment our love for food evolves into an addiction. Food addiction is a real thing and you have to treat it with the utmost seriousness. If you can't stop your cravings for certain food items even when you know that they are not healthy choices, you are addicted to food the same way an alcoholic is addicted to alcohol!
Set boundaries:
I am not suggesting you quit all those delicious pleasures you derive from eating particular foods. What I am suggesting is that you set a limit. Decide to only eat that junk/soul food just once a week or after three days of intense exercise. And no gorging.
If you don't set boundaries now, what will happen is after four or five years of excessive consumption of these food items, your body will become so high in cholesterol that you will have to come down to boiled vegetables everyday. Might even have to totally drop those foods. So, if you want to constant access to them, set a limit on the amount you ingest.
Get and follow a diet chart:
Do not starve yourself. That is not what I am asking of you. Doing that is even counter-productive. If we take all our meals at the right time, there won't be a physiological need to eat. Eat more of healthy foods with lower calories to make yourself feel completely full.
Find the triggers and remove them:
If there is a burger chain on your way from office to home and you stop there to hop something everyday, then it's time to pick a different way home. If you come home from work and plop down on the couch while eating a bag of chips, instead come home and immediately go for a brisk walk outside. This is how you will start to break the rules and change you habits to healthy ones.
Rewire your brain:
Try this: If you find yourself craving for something, pick up a task, to eat dry fruits or drink a glass of juice, After some time, you will realize that you are no more craving for that food item. Do this every single time you feel like eating something unhealthy.
You are actually rewiring your brain to think about something else, and gradually you will beat the food addiction.
Ask for help:
Tell your family members and friends to stop you from eating unhealthy food items on your list. Also, tell your friends not to offer you those food items.
Also, if you can't stop from having it,go away when your friends or people around you are having it.
Seek medical help:
If none of the above tricks are helping, you then need to consider seeking medical help. Seek help from a dietitian and a counselor. Food addiction is a serious problem and it can cause a lot of serious issues like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, fatty liver, diabetes, and several other health problems. So consult a doctor and make yourself healthier.
