Let’s face it, we are all doing it: we cannot seem to stop eating our favourite snacks, be it chips, crisps, or some kind of crackers – they are always there in between our meals. Whenever we feel the urge to have a bite in the street, we take in some sweets or corner junk food, and we cannot seem to restrain ourselves from doing it. This is called food addiction. And it is our mission to help you keep away from unhealthy food and make your life and eating habits better. Here is how.
What causes food addiction?
You have probably noticed by now that takeaway food tastes better than the food you prepare at home. The same goes for food you buy at the street or corner. Their secret are additives.
Junk food is full of sugar and artificial sweeteners which cause addiction in us, and we cannot help ourselves but eat that delicious doughnut each time we pass by a bakery.
Additionally, they say that people with low dopamine activity are more prone to addiction. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter controlling reward and pleasure centres in our brain. This all combined makes us more sensitive and susceptible to food addiction, especially when we are not in the mood and seek comfort in it.
How to decrease food addiction?
There are a few ways we can stop or decrease food addiction. When it comes to obesity and addiction, not only calories matter.
What matters is where those calories come from. And they usually come from sugar. Junk food contains a lot of sugar, which makes us want it more. This is why we should stop eating junk food.
All those flashy commercials on TV are full of lies so we should all turn TV off and start living in the present and pay much more attention to the food and we can even start preparing it ourselves.
Another thing you can do is to talk to a food professional, or a nutritionist. They can give you advice on how to control what you eat and tell you what food contains a lot of sugar and things that are generally bad for you.
And if you think that your addiction is a bit stronger than you expected, you might talk to a doctor to ask for advice.
Remember: Avoid sugar!
The key to controlling your food addiction is controlling levels of sugar in your blood. This you can achieve by starting to look at food and drink labels. The labels usually show a chart of ingredients the product contains. The bigger the amount of sugar, the worse the product. What you should also learn is that sugar has many different names under which it is disguised to fool people.
Protein is another solution for reducing sugar intake. Since we are all different, we all need different amounts of protein, which is a completely normal thing. So if you see people around you eating the same portions and they are full after theirs and you are not, then your body requires more calories.
You can also start using whey protein which is there to help you because it contains little calories and a lot of protein which will satiate you properly.
You can also regulate your body weight with exercise. Now, do not be surprised with the hunger you feel after a long run – this just means that your body has spent the supplies and it wants more energy. But the next time you go jogging or to the gym, it is going to spend them more and more.
And your problems are solved!
And finally, remember that food addiction is a condition that can be fought only if you have the mental capacity and the willingness to change. Change should come from the inside, so you are going to have to want to avoid that sugar and replace it with good things. Good luck, and tell us what you think in the comments below.