I hear all the time that people want to turn to keto to try to break their food addiction. When people say, “addiction,” they tend to think about alcohol or drugs, or even gambling. Can you have an addiction to food? Overeaters Anonymous say yes. Others say it’s just an excuse to eat too much. In this series, we look at the controversial idea of food as an addiction. If it is an addiction, is there a risk of relapse? This is the topic we cover in the fourth part of our series.
Why Do We Run the Risk of Relapse?
Again, the idea of food addiction as an actual addiction is still controversial. One of the things that sets it apart is that, unlike drugs or alcohol or gambling, we need food to survive. That makes it extremely complicated. Yet, if we focus on things like sugar, it becomes more clear. We don’t need sugar to survive, in fact it is harmful to us. We eat sweet things because we like the way they make us feel in the moment. And that is the essence of the problem.
So, we struggle to kick the sugar habit and we’re feeling pretty good about ourselves – even somewhat superior! And then, something happens in our lives to throw us into chaos. Someone passes away or your spouse loses their job. Wham! We start to crave the sugary foods again. And, really, our brains justify to us, we deserve a “treat” with everything we’re going through. Why wouldn’t you want to feel good when you’re so sad and stressed out? Before we know it, we’re elbows deep in a tub of ice cream.
Things that Increase our Risk of Relapse
There can be many things that we associate with food, and any of those can trigger a craving. Maybe you see someone celebrating a birthday and you suddenly crave the pound cake you used to have every year. You may hear an ice cream truck coming down the road and it fills you with that feeling of enjoying the cool treat on a hot day and happy childhood memories. Or, maybe you’re walking on the boardwalk and smell the sweet aroma of waffle cones. The cravings can come quickly and you may not even be conscious of the association, but they are there and they can be hard to resist.
Places That Trigger Us
Just like certain things that initiate our senses can increase our risk of relapse, places can do the same thing. Grocery stores are a necessary evil. We have to buy food, and we have to eat. I’ve found that making a list and sticking to the items on the outside of the aisles help me from craving the inner aisle goodies, like chips and popcorn. Grocery shopping used to be a chore I enjoyed because I’d buy myself something I’d enjoy later. Unfortunately, then I’d regret it just after I ate it and it became a cycle of self-loathing.
People Can Be Triggers Too
We all have enablers in our lives. Bill and I used to enable each other all the time. Really, we still do, we just enable each other to buy better choices of treats. If I know he’s having a bad day, I might buy us each a Lily’s chocolate bar. It has no sugar in it, it won’t raise his blood sugars, but it also has no nutritional value. We enable each other to eat our feelings, even though the choices are better than when they were killing us.
Family and friends may get exasperated with you when you are struggling to resist the cravings. Bill’s mom recently had a woman snap, “For God’s sake, one donut won’t kill you.” At this moment, it’s important to put yourself first and remember why you decided to avoid sugar and try to break the cycle of addiction. That’s all about her and her lack of confidence – people sabotage so they feel better about themselves.
Mental Health can Increase Your Risk of Relapse
Why did you start turning to food in the first place? Usually it’s due to unresolved issues and emotions. We crave that “feel good” hormone particularly when we are dealing with uncomfortable feelings. Depression and anxiety can also add to our craving for feeling better, even temporarily. Unfortunately, the foods that give us that temporary “high” also increase the intensity of anxiety and depression.
On the other side of things, you may become overconfident. Everyone knows we should eat less junk food and food that causes cravings. So, when you succeed, even in the short term, you may have a feeling of superiority. And, with that cockiness comes risk. We start to feel like we can handle it. Maybe I want a piece of cake – no problem. I can handle it. Next thing I know, I’m eating the entire cake.
How is My Risk Of Relapse?
I know that my risk of relapse is great. I’ve come a long way in being conscious of what I eat. My cravings are fewer and farther between, but they are still there. I’m not sure they will ever go away. And that brings us to our last part of this series next week – is there a cure for food addiction?
Wendy
