Something that I've learned over the past several years is that no problem is one dimensional and overeating is no different.
I have found that there are two main reasons for overeating & other unwanted eating patterns...
1- Emotional Reasons
2- Physical Cravings
Emotional connections to eating are triggered by what you think and as a result how you feel. It can range from happiness, boredom, sadness, frustration, and the list goes on.
Eating in this way can provide a sense of relief. In a way it gives you a release of what you're feeling.
Partly because of the action of eating and partly because of the serotonin and/or dopamine that is released in the your brain (these are 'feel good' hormones that are released in the brain when eating food - especially highly processed and sugary foods).
Eating in response to emotions may provide an escape or distraction.
Physical cravings come as a results of being deficient in certain vitamins, nutrients, and/or minerals.
Do you think that we have the same nutrient value in our food that we had 50, 75, 100 years ago? Of course not! Even if you are eating whole & organic foods - you are not getting all the nutrients you need.
You may have experienced this through cravings for another food even after you've just finished a meal. You may feel emotionally balanced - but still have cravings for more food. It may be your body saying, "Hey, I'm still missing something! Let's try eating something else."
This can create a situation where you're overfed - yet undernourished. Which continues the cycle of physical cravings to eat even after you're physically full. Your body is searching for the building blocks to create health.
Overeating is a rarely one dimensional. It comes down to a COMBINATION of BOTH physical cravings and emotional reasons.
When our bodies are balanced, it is easier to deal with mental and emotional aspects of creating a change. I've experienced this first hand and I feel that is very important to supplement our food supply with the essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals our bodies require to create health.
It is imperative that your nutrition provides the nutrients you need & your body is in balance. This will give you a solid foundation to get to work on the mental and emotional part of binge eating that must be shifted.
