By Dalal Akoury, MD addiction Brain Health Immune System Integrative Addiction Treatment for Physicians NER (Neuro Endocrine Restoration) detox neurotransmitters restoration addiction recovery Obesity outpatient addiction treatment overweight rapid addiction recovery sugar Weight Loss February 27, 2016

Taming food addiction before it complicates your health: Necessary steps to take

Has it ever occurred to you that one of the most basic needs in life could turn into a serious health problem? Many times when you look at what you want to eat all you do is to invite appetite and begin the celebration. I am not saying that is not right however I want to bring to your attention that food may be good for the body but when not used well, could be the real nightmare we don’t want to associate with. Keep reading and find out why taming food addiction before it complicates your health is a must do thing in this generation. And like we have mention before, addiction does not necessarily have to involve an addictive substance or drug. The term addiction on the other hand can be used to describe any excessive behavior including compulsive eating. Form the various studies done to date, there are different opinions and thought about addiction but the scientific literature in the area of food addiction is still in the beginning stages of investigations and many experts believe that addiction to food really isn’t about the food.

That is to say that food is a variable that do not have addictive properties that may make someone to depend on unlike chemical substances. According to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury MD, President and founder of the establishment, food addiction has more to do with the user, that is to say how a one behaves around food, what he think about food and how he relates or his habits with food. Doctor Akoury says that the habits are the real source of the addiction. We therefore must be careful with how we relate with food because for many food can become a way of coping with emotional matters and if this is done repeatedly, the consequences is that this coping mechanism can result into addiction. The danger comes in the sense that by using food as a means to deal with complications like anxiety, stress, grief, etc., the body is likely to become conditioned to crave that process to feel relief.

The other danger about food is that many at times people do associate pleasure with foods particularly those that contain fat, sugar and salt. Because of the vulnerabilities of these food elements, we get introduced to this at a young age when candy and soda are given as a “treat” or “reward” for good behavior, or when we have excelled in academic with good grades or during normal celebrations. Research studies have shown the reward centers of the brain to light up and release dopamine when pleasurable foods are consumed. The question that follows would be “could this be that we’ve conditioned our bodies to react this way?” Let’s respond to that subsequently as we progress into the discussion.

Taming food addiction before it complicates your health: The slippery slope of food addiction

Like we have said food is a basic need and we all need to eat to get the constant supply of energy to move. It therefore means that people do not just decide that they want to feel out of control with food. It’s often a slippery slope that leads a one into food addiction. Because of this we need to be on the alert to be safe from the temptation of being addicted to food. The following are some of the common warning signs and traits among people suffering from food addiction:

Rewarding/treating yourself with food
Thinking about food all the time
Restrictive dieting
Eating in secret or sneaking food
Feeling out of control with food
Feeling disgusted, guilty or upset after eating
Feeling stressed or tension that is only relieved by eating
Weight fluctuations and/or difficulty managing weight
Body dissatisfaction
Feeling unsatisfied even after meal times
Changes in mood
Labeling food as “good” and “bad”

Taming food addiction before it complicates your health: Overcoming food addiction

Taming food addiction is a process worth taking by everyone if we want to find lasting freedom from this condition. Doctor Akoury and her team of experts can help you redeem your-self professionally. For a full recovery you can call doctor Akoury today to help you take back the power from food so that you can achieve a full recovery. And as you consider that the following are some steps you may want to consider to help you or someone recovering from food addiction:

Healthy relationship with food – Unlike with 12-step addiction-based recovery models where individuals are encouraged to remain abstinent for healing, when it comes to food addiction, things are different because we still need to eat because food is a necessity to life. Therefore anyone struggling with food addiction must learn how to eat properly again by establishing a healthy relationship with food.

Management of consumption of unsafe foods – What we call unsafe foods is still foods and must be taken in moderation (proper management) so that we remain on a healthy by feeding on healthy food. However if for example one binges on ice cream because of a stressful situation, it’s advisable not to keep it in the house.

Structured meal plan – With a well-structured meal plan anybody suffering from an unhealthy relationship with food can bounce back on the right track of recovery. With this done the individual victim will be able to set safe boundaries with food. And alongside that the individual will feel satisfied thereby reducing the physiological need to eat. Remember that it’s more enticing to be out of control with food when there is physical deprivation.

Adopt healthy coping strategies – Address reasons for turning to food to cope by identifying much healthier coping mechanisms and strategies so that one can begin learning healthier means of dealing with emotions.

Finally taming food addiction before it complicates your health is one that will need real consultation with experts just to void making costly mistakes. Calling doctor Dalal Akoury for help will be very beneficial to you as she will professionally take you through the recovery process. And even as you consider doing that it is important to note that in order to defeat food addiction, one need to be very patient because it is a process and may not happen overnight as you may want. A registered dietitian or a licensed therapist who is specialized in the area of disordered eating will be very instrumental in offering solutions by helping you in the implement appropriate strategies and providing accountability and sound advice.