The Hungry Heart

Mind & Spirit: NST Life & Times 21/12/2010

http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/MIND_SPIRIT_Thehungryheart/Article

BY CHIM LI YEN

IT is the festive season again, lots of merry making and parties everywhere! Let’s end the year by examining our eating habits.

Have you been on many diets but still unhappy with your are weight? Do you eat more when you’re stressed or feeling sad? We all have a purpose in life — our unique contribution we make to the world with our natural talents and passions. Some of us haven’t identified our life purpose while others have a vague idea but don’t take action due to fears and insecurities.

Sometimes, we muffle our intuitive voice through self-destructive behaviours such as excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, compulsive shopping and overeating. We pretend that we don’t care that our talents lay unused, but deep inside, we are furious at our lack of integrity.

We pour food down our gut to desensitise ourselves to our gut feelings because we are afraid to trust and follow its guidance. We use food to distract us from the pain we are experiencing in life.

A person who is true to himself does not overeat or think obsessively about food. He eats when he is truly hungry and enjoys every morsel of food without feeling guilty after eating.

In this two-part article, we will explore the five overeating styles as identified in the book The Yo-yo Diet Syndrome by Dr Doreen Virtue. Dr Virtue is a psychologist and a fourth-generation metaphysician who has been treating eating disorders for 13 years in a private practice. Go through the different characteristics distinct to the five styles and try out the recommendations given to permanently heal your appetite and weight. See if you can recognise yourself in one or more of these overeating styles.

The Binge Eater

• Tends to overeat one or two particular “binge foods” such as chocolate, salty snacks, bread, ice-cream.
• Once binge eaters has one bite of their favourite food, their eating habits and appetites go out of control.
• The binge eater sometimes worries that he won’t have enough to eat.
• The binge eater goes to great lengths to obtain the binge food.

The metaphysical basis of binge eating is the belief in lack and that there is not enough (food) to go around. Many binge eaters are conditioned with the thought that there is a competitive world out there and that “I better get mine before someone else gets it”. This belief might be rooted in childhood experiences of having to compete for food. They think that there is not enough love, appreciation, money and good things to go around.

The type of food the binge eater craves tells a lot about the hidden reason behind their overeating. Here are several examples.

Chocolate — contains a chemical called phenylethylamine (P.E.A.), which is identical to the chemical produced by the brain during stages of “romantic love”. Their chocolate craving is actually a craving for feelings of love. The aroma of chocolate contains a mood-altering substance called pyrazine, which activates the pleasure of the brain, leading to feelings of contentment.

Sweets (candy, ice-cream, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, pies, carbonated drinks, etc) — gives the body a boost of adrenaline, resulting in euphoria and high energy. The high soon topples and lead to a slump in energy levels and emotional high. There will be more cravings for sugar and the vicious cycle starts. Sweets are packed with carbohydrates which activate serotonin in the brain, producing a calming effect and alleviate depression.

Salty junk food — people who overeat when they are angry or stressed tend to choose crunchy foods such as nuts and potato chips to release their aggression. Nuts contain pyrazine in its aroma, so fun-deprived people often binge to compensate for their all-work-and-no-play lifestyle.

Dairy products — food like yogurt, salad dressings, sour cream, cream cheese and ice-cream might signal a desire for comfort. Dairy products have high levels of L-tryptophan, which is a catalyst for serotonin, the brain’s mood-regulating chemical. For L-tryptophan to fully metabolise and cause the strongest relaxation effect, carbohydrates must be present too. This chemical combination may explain why many people binge when they eat cheese with bread, pizza and crackers or other dairy product/carbohydrate mixtures.

Spicy food — spicy food bingers have a high threshold for excitement and need a lot of stimulation in their lives. They tend to take risks, create crisis and live on the edge. Sometimes, extremely spicy food is craved by people who are experiencing overwhelming emotional pain.

Steps to Recovery

1. Identify your binge food and ask yourself these questions: How does eating this food make me feel? Can I get by with just a portion of this food? Do I crave more of it later in the day or week? Do I feel guilty or nervous after eating? How many times have I been bingeing after taking a bite of this food?

2. Listening to your inner voice will help you overcome overwhelming urges to eat and to keep your appetite in check. There is a moment of conscious choice just before you make the decision to binge.

3. Confront the illogical fear of “having not enough” so you can learn to relax about your food supply. After letting go of the fear, it becomes easier to listen to your intuitive voice which encourages you to fulfil your purpose, be it to write a book, learn yoga or start a family.

We will discuss the other three overeating styles next week. Till then, eat well and stay healthy.

- The writer is co-founder of The Violet Flame Holistic Shop and Therapy Centre, Bangsar. Check out the website at www.thevioletflame.com.my for details.