Balance: Are You Addicted to Food?

Do you struggle to control your food intake, especially when it comes to high-sugar foods or junk food?

In the past, the word ‘addiction’ was associated predominantly with the abuse of drugs and alcohol. Today, there is a wider understanding that people can become dependent and addicted to a much wider variety of substances and activities, such as sex, gambling and even food. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition conducted an eye-opening study that revealed high-sugar and high-glycaemic foods are similarly addictive to drugs such as cocaine and heroin. In other words, foods that cause a blood-sugar spike are biologically addictive. For anyone who struggles with food addiction, the first step is to determine the root cause of the issue. Once this is dealt with, you will be able to restore balance to your approach to food and eating.

The Effects of Being Addicted to Food

Do you feel depressed, hopeless or ashamed about your eating habits or your weight?

As with most forms of addiction, one’s physical health is not the only thing affected – your mental, emotional, social and even spiritual state of being are all implicated in the face of addiction.

Are You a Food Addict?

The following questions could help you identify whether or not you may be addicted to food (Source: Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous)

1. Have you ever wanted to stop eating and found you just couldn’t?
2. Do you think about food or your weight constantly?
3. Do you find yourself attempting one diet or food plan after another, with no lasting success?
4. Do you binge and then “get rid of the binge” through vomiting, exercise, laxatives, or other forms of purging?
5. Do you eat differently in private than you do in front of other people?
6. Has a doctor or family member ever approached you with concern about your eating habits or weight?
7. Do you eat large quantities of food at one time (binge)?
8. Is your weight problem due to your “nibbling” all day long?
9. Do you eat to escape from your feelings?
10. Do you eat when you’re not hungry?
11. Have you ever discarded food, only to retrieve and eat it later?
12. Do you eat in secret?
13. Do you fast or severely restrict your food intake?
14. Have you ever stolen other people’s food?
15. Have you ever hidden food to make sure you have “enough”?
16. Do you feel driven to exercise excessively to control your weight?
17. Do you obsessively calculate the calories you’ve burned against the calories you’ve eaten?
18. Do you frequently feel guilty or ashamed about what you’ve eaten?
19. Are you waiting for your life to begin “when you lose the weight”?
20. Do you feel hopeless about your relationship with food?

How can Kinesiology Help?

If you feel you may be addicted to food in some form or other, balancing can be the first step to healing. A Kinesiology balance will help identify your food addiction and which foods in particular are an issue. By identifying what may even be hidden from your conscious mind, your body can begin to heal itself. A kinesiology balance will also help your body reveal what it needs more of in order to reach optimum physical, mental and emotional health.

Get in touch with Robyn to make an appointment or to find out about how Kinesiology can help you manage addiction.