Do you ever go out to eat and find that bread basket too irresistible to stay away from? What about the dessert table at the company picnic? Or a bag of potato chips to go with your sandwich at lunch? All of these processed foods contain ingredients to make them more addictive.
Sugar, fat and salt have proven to have an effect on how much we crave foods and desire more of it. Matter of fact, the body adjusts to these addictive ingredients in foods to the point where we overeat and our health suffers from it.
As a personal trainer, my clients never report to me that they over did it on broccoli or ate too many apples. Cherry pie, cheddar cheese or barbecue potato chips are things that clients admit with guilt that they ate because it was too hard to resist.
Food addiction is like drug addiction. Sugar, salt and high fat foods use the same neurological path as narcotics or opiates to reach the pleasure center in the brain. This has resulted in the average American’s consumption of 23 pounds of cheese, 78 pounds of sugar and 2 pounds of salt every year.
It’s unfortunate that big food manufacturers use this to their advantage by manipulating the amount of these addictive ingredients to sell more product and ultimately put more money in their pockets. In return, we gain weight, have high blood pressure, develop Type 2 diabetes and many other life threatening diseases.
So you recognize that you have a food addiction and want to reverse the direction of your health. How is this possible? My first suggestion is to start eating whole foods. Go through your fridge and pantry at home and throw away all of the junk. When it is not in your home to tempt you then you will be more inclined to eat the healthy foods you have at home.
Filling up your body with lean meats, vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy fats will keep you feeling energized and not to mention a little bit leaner. Use herbs and seasonings to help flavor foods. If food manufacturers are manipulating unhealthy food to make it more addictive then stop buying it. It is really that simple.
The next step is to start making your own food. If you make what you eat then you know what is in it. Chopping up fruits and veggies on the weekends and making meals in bulk are huge time savers to keep you on track. Chilis, soups and stews full of lean meats and veggies freeze well so you can thaw out your meal later without having to find time to cook. Focus on making other healthy changes in your life. Get in 30 minutes of exercise daily. Go to bed for 7-8 hours of rest every night. Drink 2-3 liters of water per day. Before you know you will start feeling better from the inside out.
Make sure to share this with your clients that may be having these exact issues and challenges!
Christine Oakes is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer, Fitness Nutrition Specialist, Health Coach, NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist and 200RYT certified yoga instructor . She currently operates her own fitness company offering personal training, bootcamp and yoga classes in the Mountain View, CA area. Christine has had a love for being active since childhood and believes that true fitness comes from a balance of strength, nutrition, flexibility and a dose of fun. Learn more about Christine at www.fun2befit.org.
