How to replace food when losing weight? How to change your attitude towards food?

How to change your eating behavior

There are just a few recommendations that, if followed, will help change your “relationship” with food. Of course, to achieve something, you will have to make an effort, because nothing is given for nothing. But if you literally force yourself to stick to a certain routine every day, then after a few weeks it will become a habit. In addition, in order not to give up everything during this entire period, you need to constantly motivate yourself. Here are tips to help you develop good eating habits:

1. It is very important to try to eat at the same times every day. This behavior will help leave an imprint in your head that you only eat at this time.
2. There should be at least three meals a day, and portion sizes should be moderate.
3. Always have breakfast (coffee is not breakfast). Avoid eating before bed.
4. Do not go hungry during the day. But this does not mean that you need to snack all the time.
5. If you are already full, then you should not finish everything that is on the plate.
6. Drink a lot (liquids, not alcohol).
7. And, as Ostap Bender said, “don’t make a cult out of food.”

But if you don’t have the strength to change your attitude towards food on your own, and no arguments help, it’s better to seek qualified help. This is a psychological problem that can be solved with the help of a specialist. But in addition to developing a proper eating routine, you should also think about how you can replace food so that it is less high-calorie and harmful.

How to replace food cravings. How to get rid of food addiction? Psychological aspects

Have you noticed how slim people treat nutrition? They do not eat even the most delicious dishes when they are not hungry. And those with extra pounds sometimes continue to chew for hours. Ultimately, this affects your well-being, appearance, and self-esteem.

Food addiction is in many ways similar to smoking, excessive shopping and other bad habits. It arises when a person replaces his true needs with immediate and accessible pleasures. It is easy to identify a food addiction: in a “food slave” the desire to eat arises regardless of the feeling of hunger.

There can be many reasons why we are drawn to the refrigerator by a magnet. Strong emotions, boredom, and the desire to get distracted and change activities “get stuck”. Everyone has their own motives. The results are the same - heaviness in the stomach, lack of energy, dissatisfaction and a burning desire to take care of oneself. Happy New Year or Monday. While devouring another piece, it’s so pleasant to talk about how slim and healthy your body will become when...

All methods for solving this problem say the same thing. Food addiction can be eliminated only when you learn to love, appreciate, respect yourself, take into account yourself and your desires. And scolding yourself for the next delicacy, threatening yourself and hating yourself for weak-willedness, you can only strengthen it. Remember - how many cases of gluttony begin with the decision to go on a diet? I’ll treat myself one last time, and then I’ll get around to it...

What helps reduce food cravings?

1. Pay attention to your true needs. Stop before the temptation for a second and ask yourself: “Why? Why do I want to eat this? Is it really hunger, or is there some emotion missing? Which ones? Then think: maybe you can get the desired impression or sensation without food? For example, I noticed that after work I crave “forbidden” foods to please myself. Instead of food in this case, you can reward yourself with, say, a flower.

The best way to track your eating habits is to write down in a notebook what you ate and why. And preferably not after, but immediately before eating. Although few people follow this recommendation in practice, it is very effective. It helps to understand that we (people prone to food addiction) do not eat little, but even the opposite. And you can stop without bringing the extra piece to your mouth if the desire to eat is not caused by a feeling of hunger.

2. Approvals and compliments. Other people's praises and your own work equally well. Do something that makes you feel worthy of admiration, and you will get a dose of pleasure no less than from a gourmet delicacy. Affirmations help a lot. Repeating to yourself at least one positive phrase 10-100 times during the day can significantly improve your mood. And this automatically eliminates the desire to “eat” anything. Affirmations have already been written about a lot and well at the School of Life. And if you are interested in this technique, finding suitable materials will not be difficult.

3. Exercise. But only those that bring real satisfaction. For me it’s walking, dancing, swimming, playing sports. Some people like to take a fitness class or go to the gym. And even if after training you “work up an appetite,” it will be healthy hunger, and not food from a lack of impressions.

4. Avoiding strong restrictions. Not only in food, but in life in general. Try, while staying within reasonable limits, to prohibit yourself from doing things, to infringe on yourself, to punish yourself as little as possible. There is one theory that excess weight is psychologically justified by the desire to protect ourselves from external and internal threats. Therefore, release your “inner Gendarme”. Be your own friend, not your boss. And then the desire to “eat out of spite”, “eat for the last time”, “eat out of fear of giving up” will disappear.

Let food be a pleasant component of life for you, and not its meaning. Live in harmony with yourself!

Substitution of concepts

Often our diet may be dominated by one or another type of unhealthy food, which inevitably leads to weight gain. But there are tricks that allow you to “deceive” yourself and free yourself from harmful addictions.

1. You can get rid of the desire to eat salty foods by eating almonds and bananas. Thanks to potassium, these products are good stimulants for the kidneys, forcing them to work actively, removing excess fluid from the body.
2. How to replace food if you like fatty foods? Today you can buy soy cheese called “tofu” in the supermarket. It is prepared in combination with various seasonings and added to other less fatty dishes. The composition of this product is capable of “deceiving” the taste sensations.
3. If you want a sweet dessert after a meal, try popping a sugar-free mint candy in your mouth. This trick will signal to the brain that the meal is complete. Soon the body should “stop wanting” to eat something else tasty.
4. You can freeze the grapes and eat (slowly, savoring) them one at a time when you want ice cream.
5. But what can you replace food with when you just want to chew something? To do this, you can purchase dried seaweed, kohlrabi, carrots, celery or other vitamin “snacks” that you can crunch on at any time.
6. If you just want chips, it’s better to make a substitution and make your own popcorn (you need to add a little salt), which contains much fewer calories.

What to replace in your diet

If chocolate and chips are harmful, primarily due to their low-health composition, then some products are not recommended for medical reasons. Thus, spinach is contraindicated for gout, apples for diabetes, eggs for high cholesterol.

Spinach

Spinach is a low-calorie product (22 kcal) and in most cases is recommended by nutritionists for consumption during weight loss. The leaves of this plant contain retinol, folic and ascorbic acid, vitamins B, K and iodine, which is responsible for the normal functioning of the thyroid gland.

Important! Regular consumption of spinach can slow down the development of tumor diseases. The microelements it contains slow down the aging process, and the coarse fibers “cleanse” the intestines. The use of this plant is indicated for anemia, diabetes and gastritis.

However, this product also has a number of contraindications, such as:

• kidney diseases;
• gout;
• urolithiasis disease.

Spinach is high in protein. In this regard, beans, which are superior in this indicator, can be a worthy alternative. Due to the high levels of vegetable protein, it has increased nutritional value, so its consumption helps maintain a feeling of fullness for a long period. Like spinach, beans are recommended for patients with diabetes, as well as people with heart disease and anemia.

Another product that can replace spinach in your diet is asparagus. It is slightly more caloric (33 kcal) than spinach, but no less valuable in terms of chemical composition. Asparagus is a source of rare vitamin U, which can treat stomach ulcers and neutralize compounds dangerous to the human body.

Like spinach, asparagus contains a large amount of potassium, which is responsible for the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system, as well as iron, necessary for those suffering from anemia. Asparagus is used in salads, baked with meat and fish, and steamed.

Important!

Asparagus, like spinach, is not recommended for gout, as the purines it contains increase the concentration of uric acid.

The most common substitute for spinach is broccoli (34 kcal). This product is easy to prepare, affordable and rich in vitamins and microelements. Eating broccoli can restore hormonal levels in women, strengthen cartilage tissue, and tone the immune system. Cabbage has an antiparasitic effect, as well as the ability to rid the body of excess water and harmful salts.

Broccoli is contraindicated only in case of the most serious intestinal diseases and acute allergies to vitamin C. In all other cases, it is not only possible, but also necessary to be included in the diet. Fasting days on broccoli allow you to lose 1-1.5 kg per day. However, you should not get carried away with such a mono-diet, since it is not balanced.

Potato

Potatoes are one of the highest calorie vegetables (77 kcal). Another drawback is the high content of carbohydrates, which are mainly starch. This substance in the human body is processed into glucose, which, in turn, provokes the development of strokes, heart attacks, obesity and type II diabetes.

Comment!

In addition to harm, starch, or rather its resistant form, can also be beneficial. It is converted into saturated fatty acids and helps relieve inflammation of the intestinal walls, and also prevents the formation of tumors.

The method of preparing the vegetable is also of great importance. So, the calorie content of fried potatoes is almost 300 kcal. And boiled in its jacket – no more than 85 kcal. The same goes for the glycemic index. It can vary from 65 units (boiled in its jacket) to 90 (mashed potatoes).

A safe alternative to potatoes is most often beans, which are in no way inferior in nutrition to root vegetables. In soups, sliced ​​potatoes are replaced with cereals, such as buckwheat. The latter is filling due to the successful combination of high protein content and low carbohydrate content. This is one of the most successful products for weight loss. It is not for nothing that entire series of diets have been developed based on it.

Cereals are not the only replacement option. An alternative to potatoes can be:

• celery;
• daikon;
• kohlrabi cabbage;
• carrot;
• Jerusalem artichoke.

In Russian cuisine, the place of potatoes has long been occupied by rutabaga and turnips.

Egg

Eggs are the most famous source of protein. They strengthen the immune system, improve vision (reduce the risk of cataract formation), and have a beneficial effect on brain function. Eggs are recommended for pregnant and lactating women, as well as athletes. At the same time, the average calorie content of one chicken egg is 150 kcal, which is quite a lot for people on a diet.

Among other things, their excessive consumption affects the functioning of the kidneys.

Important!

Quail eggs contain much less “bad” cholesterol.

Those who want to get protein, but at the same time “avoid meeting” excess cholesterol, can alternatively introduce lean varieties of meat (beef, chicken) or fish (cod, pike perch) into their diet.

These products can be used as ingredients for salads, hot dishes or soups. When it comes to chicken, the lowest calorie part is the fillet. It contains only 113 kcal, versus 185 kcal from the poultry thigh.

As part of the diet, chicken breast is baked or steamed. Boiling meat leads to depletion of its composition. The easiest way is baking in foil. To do this, the fillet is lightly beaten, rubbed with spices and dry herbs, wrapped in foil and put in the oven for 30-40 minutes at a temperature of 190-200°C.

Another record-breaking product for protein content is fish. Its main difference from meat is the volume of easily digestible protein. “Fish” protein is absorbed by 93-98%, while “meat” protein is only absorbed by 87-89%. The champion in protein content is tuna (24%), followed by salmon (20-22%) and cod (16%).

This is interesting!

Red caviar contains more than 31% protein, black caviar contains about 26%, and pollock caviar contains almost 28%.

Apples

The benefits of apples are also due to their composition. They contain bioflavonoids, which strengthen blood vessels, iron, which regulates hemoglobin levels, and potassium, which is necessary for the normal functioning of the heart muscle. The pectin contained in these fruits is able to remove toxins from the body and prevent the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.

And yet, eating apples has a number of contraindications. They should not be included in the diet of allergy sufferers. Excess carbohydrates and fructose are disadvantages that should be taken into account by people on a diet. Fruits are not recommended for gastritis and intestinal problems.

Apples on a diet can be replaced with other low-sugar fruits or vegetables. A good option would be tomatoes, whose calorie content is 2 times less than that of apples (20 kcal versus 47 kcal). This vegetable, like apples, is rich in potassium and ascorbic acid, but also contains magnesium, calcium and iodine, which are necessary for hearts.

Tomatoes can be used in salads, as a side dish, for example, baked, or made into juice. The main thing is not to add salt to it and drink it pure. If your health allows, then tomato juice can be diluted with apple and radish juice. The result is a very healthy vitamin cocktail with a fat-burning effect.

Chocolate and chips

Chocolate, chips and diet are almost incompatible things. And yet, if you completely exclude these products from the menu and don’t have enough willpower, then you can use a little trick.

During the period of weight loss, it is important not to forget that not only the body, but also the psyche experiences stress from constant restrictions. 10-15 g of dark chocolate as a reward will improve your emotional background. However, it should be only natural dark chocolate, without fillers (nuts, raisins).

As for chips, the usual potato version will not work under any circumstances. Even prepared with your own hands at home. But chips made from beets, carrots or zucchini will be a good alternative for those who like to crunch in front of the TV or just have a quick snack.

You can make vegetable or fruit chips at home. This will require a little time, an oven and a supply of vegetables and fruits. Popular options include pumpkin, zucchini and beets, as well as dessert versions made from apples, banana and kiwi.

Be sure to check out:

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Preferred sweets

But some people who are losing weight cannot deceive themselves with candy, and their body stubbornly demands dessert. What to do and what to replace food with in such cases? You can try making the treat yourself.

1. Bake an apple with cinnamon in the oven. This taste may resemble pie, and your figure will not pay for your weakness.
2. Prepare a smoothie with banana in a blender using low-fat milk. Another option is to mix your preferred fruits with low-fat cottage cheese and real yogurt.
3. Instead of sweets, you can buy dried fruits and eat them with tea.

When food becomes a desperate substitute for love

The main problem I encounter in my work on emotional eating is the unconscious, obsessive, and clingy behavior that people exhibit in their relationship with food. This topic is deep and interesting, full of pitfalls and obstacles, so it is simply impossible to split it by resorting to only one psychological theory. At the heart of such involvement, “involvement” in food, is suffering in its most incredible manifestations. Compulsive eaters are miserable.

Pain disguised as success

One has only to slightly peel off the mask of integrity, external success, irresistible beauty, wealth, independence and even desperate originality, as carefully disguised pain cries out loudly and indecently. The prevalence of this infection called “suffering” is on an extraordinary scale. Take a look around. Look in the mirror and you will certainly find traces of it.

The need for love is our basic firmware, and it is because of it that we are so vulnerable. Love is manipulated by the people we depend on. Later, we, talented students, apply these same manipulations in a more improved form to those who depend on us. Many excellent books have been written about the nature of such games. Take, for example, Sjostrom's "The Manipulative Man," or E. Berne's "People Who Play Games and Games People Play."

Obsessiveness masks emotional despair. It is generated by the feeling that there is no one in my life at a difficult moment for me. I'm lonely and need support. I need love, participation, care, which I organically lack.

Unbeknownst to ourselves, in the pursuit of love we become desperate and move away from ourselves. We survive as best we can. Some rush to earn money, some rape or alter their bodies, some run around the shops, sweeping everything off the shelves. And some are hunting for partners for love relationships, or just for sex. If these methods of replenishing love do not work, you can resort to alcohol, drugs, gambling or, in the end, get an incurable disease! There are many ways, but today we will focus on desperate food.

Why food? Yes, because this is the simplest remedy that brings instant gratification. Food was available when we missed our parents so much. The food did not get up and leave us, as my father did. Food did not cause grief or trouble. Didn't say no. She didn't beat me. The food didn't make me drunk. It was always available, even if it was scarce and limited. She was delicious. Warmed us up when we were cold, cooled us down when it was hot. Food has become a close friend who is always there. It became more like the love that we usually lacked. However, food did not become a complete replacement. She remained a surrogate, unable to satisfy the real hunger for love.

Sweetie so you don't cry

Mila, like her name, is quite pretty. She is plump for her build, and in her elegant purse there is always candy, chocolate, a delicious cookie or wafer. She looks at the common table where we have gathered to break bread and throws up her hands in disappointment - “absolutely no one thought of bringing something pleasantly sweet.” Mila is rich, she has an elite profession, a husband and independent adult children. But at this moment she looks like a confused little girl. The origins of her disappointment, confusion and trembling lower lip lie in a forgotten childhood. When her handsome father suddenly died, and she and her young mother, full of dashed hopes, were left alone with their grief. Since then, sweets have appeared in their lives. A lot of sweets. It was impossible to cry and be sad: my mouth was covered with another piece of candy. Today, no one forbids her to cry and fully express sadness - she does this herself, as an adult woman. Stored sweets in a bag calm the anxiety of an older girl. In case it gets sad. And now she is sad all the time, especially since the children grew up and left home. And the situation unconsciously evokes long-standing memories of the untimely loss of the dearest and most beloved person - dad.

Compulsive eaters become so accustomed to using food as a love surrogate that they are no longer able to determine what exactly they need. We were not loved as children exactly as we needed it. And as adults, we are not able to recognize and compensate for the lack of love. “Pizza is the only love triangle I need right now,” compulsive eaters will tell you. In their own way they are right. But this kind of thinking and behavior is completely ineffective in the long term.

My friend, a Polish woman, is a funny, curvy, charming woman. I look at her and admire: her mouth is constantly moving in a bizarre chewing dance. She eats all the time. All. Even our first acquaintance was like this: “Hello, my name is Agnieszka. Very nice. Do you have anything to eat? She is a psychotherapist by profession. He talks about his childhood and his relationship with his mother. For example, her mother tells her: “Drop everything, go eat pasta.” She told her: “But I don’t want to eat pasta, I want to draw now!” Mom, without even raising an eyebrow: “You want pasta. I know better!" Agnieszka is already 40 years old. He continues to communicate with his mother in the usual manner, even though she is in another country. She is completely alone, living in a tiny rented apartment in Jerusalem, trying to make money with homemade jewelry. Food is the only thing that is always present in her life. And she, of course, dreams of losing weight.

What determines our dimensions?

Compulsive eating behavior is a manifestation of a deeply held belief that “we are not good enough to be loved for who we are.”

Another example. Woman 45 years old. She is so thin that her appearance creates an eerie feeling. Not even the thinness itself, but the general emaciation and doom in appearance. She practically stopped eating and has been like that for several years now, ever since her husband left her. She never knew how to cook. The husband in her life was the one who bought, cooked and fed. In principle, she replaced parental care with the care of her husband. The way of life was so familiar that, finding herself at a broken trough, she was left without a source of love in all its manifestations. The children have grown up and live separately. She is alone, teaching yoga classes. For her, going to the supermarket, taking a cart, choosing food, paying for it, bringing it home and cooking while standing at the stove is backbreaking mental work. I don't give this example for fun. She's really suffering. And in her own way she is right, she can be understood. If food is love, then there is no love in her life. And it doesn’t matter how old we are if we haven’t truly learned to take care of ourselves.

At the heart of suffering are deep-seated beliefs that do not allow us to go beyond our usual ideas about ourselves. Without knowing it, we live someone else's life according to someone else's scenario. In this state, even if someone truly loves us, we will involuntarily push him away, because this unplanned love will certainly interfere with our habitual sacrificial self-esteem.

The dimensions of our body depend on existing beliefs about love, about our value, about our capabilities. After all, those who resort to food as an escape from suffering and loneliness, at the same time dream of losing weight, changing and destroying part of their “extra” body, and are confident that they are able to change something in life in this way. But such attempts fail. It is impossible to give up emotionally driven eating without going deeper into the pain, from which you escape through food.

Until we discover what is behind compulsive eating behavior, there can be no talk of any serious changes in life. Those who want to change their body would do well to figure out what made it that way! Get to know your body, learn about its calls and gain the skills to listen to it. And then, finally, accept his real needs. Our body is unique in that it has its own mind. It adapts to thinking and self-esteem almost instantly.

This article will probably leave you disappointed, because it will not be completed with the traditional 10 points with guarantees (if unquestioningly and diligently followed) to finally achieve enlightenment and deserve a happy, conflict-free life. With all my empathy for those who strive to live smoothly and without conflict, I personally associate this scenario with cemetery emptiness. I believe that life is more of a daring, exciting adventure. Maya Plesetskaya voiced a simple recipe for staying in shape - “don’t eat.” Do you want to stop eating? Wake up to life! Take an interest in yourself. Get your life back. Get really angry at your whining and pity. I'm not saying you should abandon these strategies. They just have long outlived their usefulness and will not give you anything new! It's time to surprise yourself. Try yourself in a variety of areas. Finally, throw out the refrigerator. Constructively and creatively express aggression towards, rather than inside, your body. Show up instead of hiding. And then, you see, food will become just food, which it really is.

Ev Khazina is a psychologist, art therapist, specialist in nutritional psychology. Leader of personal growth trainings at the Training Center Marika Khazina

Meat substitution

Every body needs proteins. But some people try to avoid most foods that contain them in order to lose weight. Therefore, the question arises, what can you replace meat in food with, so as not to deprive yourself of vital proteins?

The first alternative is always fish. It is a source of protein, which contains all the important amino acids and at the same time this product is easily digestible. Another complete and “light” protein can be obtained from chicken eggs. You can also find an alternative in plant foods. Legumes and cereals can become integral helpers in this regard.

Will such a capsule appear in the future?

It is difficult to predict what will happen in 50-100 years. According to nutritionist Tamara Pshennikova, in the future we will have products with organic certification. Organic products are already in great demand: fruits and vegetables grown without the use of chemicals; meat from animals without antibiotics and hormones, raised entirely on natural feed.

Tamara:

I am convinced that the future lies with such products. But ethical and environmental issues are pushing scientists to create alternative products. Of course, the healthy food industry will stimulate their production, trying to increase the amount of useful micro- and macroelements.

Photo: unsplash.com/@anshu18

Svetlana Korol, head of the UltraNovation R&D laboratory, also believes that the trend towards developing new products is obvious. Moreover, the world after COVID-19 has become different. Today everyone is interested in food to replenish resources as quickly as possible, expand adaptive capabilities, and train the immune system.

Svetlana:

Our diet has changed a lot over the past decades. If earlier the daily caloric intake was 4000-6000 kcal with a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals, now it is 1500-2000 kcal. We are seriously lacking biologically active substances, and it is almost impossible to compensate for them through products. Therefore, the most obvious way is to supplement your diet with phytocorrectors, functional nutrition products rich in vitamins and minerals, which are lacking in modern products obtained from the supermarket.

Instead of salt...

It is known that excess salt in the body leads to many diseases. But without this component, food becomes tasteless and bland. Therefore, it is worth thinking about how to replace salt in food.

If you cannot completely give up salt, replace it with sea salt. Unlike table food, it is more healthy, but at the same time it gives the desired taste to food. Having decided to give preference to this product, it is still important to limit it in your diet. Therefore, you still have to think about what you can replace salt in food with.

If you use garlic as a seasoning, then bland food will not be so unpleasant. This seasoning will help you quickly get used to new taste sensations. But in order not to leave a garlic trail after eating it, it is better if it is in dried powder form. You can also “snack” with fresh parsley after such a meal.

Herbs are a good substitute as they add aroma and flavor to the dish. In addition, they do not cause harm to the body, but, on the contrary, can be beneficial for health.

If you are thinking about how to replace salt in your food, for example when preparing salads, you can try lemon juice. Spring salads from such a substitution will only improve their taste characteristics.

When did you first think about a capsule with your daily diet?

The idea of ​​a pill that would replace food appeared back in 1893 at the World's Fair in Chicago. Its author was the American writer Mary Elizabeth Lees and suggested that it would take 100 years to implement it. Here's what she said: in 1993, food will become completely synthetic and free women from working in the kitchen. But this, of course, did not happen.

And only in 2013, the prediction-like invention “Soylent” was presented, which was invented by software engineer Rob Rinehart. This is a soluble powder that consists of 35 ingredients and contains substances necessary for a person: fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. He tested his product himself, lived on it for several months and monitored his condition.

Photo: unsplash.com/@elsaolofsson

The results were surprisingly impressive: the condition and appearance of the innovator improved significantly. But still, the development turned out to be far from a tablet that could contain everything at once: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Why? According to the head of the UltraNovation R&D laboratory, Svetlana Korol, food goes beyond a set of nutrients. Nutrition is not only the consumption of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, but also a functional component that determines the rhythm of life, mood, energy and capabilities.

Cocktail instead of food

People who are trying to lose weight have probably heard more than once about this innovative method. It involves drinking a meal replacement shake. This drink can be made from milk and contains all the important microelements that we need to get from food. Today there are many companies that produce this product for losing weight. This cocktail replaces part of your regular diet, thereby reducing the number of calories per day. But still, for many, this can be a real challenge, since you will have to give up one or two regular meals, for example, drinking a cocktail instead of lunch and breakfast. Another disadvantage is the psychological factor. Since this product does not need to be chewed, the body feels “deceived” and, despite its richness, still craves to “chew”.

Cranberry juice

Drinking fruit juice on an empty stomach can negatively affect the gastrointestinal tract, since it is an acidic drink. After drinking cranberry juice, it is important to rinse your mouth thoroughly, otherwise tooth enamel may be damaged.

You can drink no more than three glasses a day. You need to buy fruit juice exclusively from trusted manufacturers; if possible, prepare it yourself.

A few more reminders

When thinking about how to replace food, you need to remember a few important principles that will help you control your eating habits:

• Buy products only according to a thoughtful list that you have drawn up in advance, and go grocery shopping on a full stomach.
• Always read the content of fats and other components on the product.
• Do not eat in front of the TV or reading a book, as this makes it more difficult to monitor the amount you eat.
• If you are not hungry, do not eat “for company.”
• You need to start your meal with salad or soup.
• Do not believe the labels “low-calorie” and check how many kcal are in one hundred grams.

How to stop enjoying food. How to recognize emotional eating

How do you know if you are truly addicted to food? After all, as a rule, we all use food from time to time to drown out some emotions.

There are some key differences between emotional eating and physical starvation. It is important to know about them, because... Some people who are addicted to food truly believe that they are just hungry.

Emotional hunger:

• Appears suddenly
• Makes you want to quench it urgently
• Leads to cravings for certain foods, especially those high in fat and sugar
• Even when the stomach is full, there is no feeling of fullness
• Feelings of guilt, shame and powerlessness appear

Physical hunger:

• Appears gradually
• Doesn’t make you want to urgently satisfy it (unless, of course, you haven’t been hungry before)
• You can eat healthy food and have fun
• When you eat, you feel full
• Negative emotions do not appear

As you can see, there is a huge difference between physical and emotional hunger. You keep wanting more and more if you are addicted to food. When you eat to satisfy physical hunger, you're less likely to feel guilt or shame because you're simply giving your body what it needs. If you feel guilty after eating, chances are you know deep down that you're not eating for nutrition-related reasons.

Answer the following questions to determine if you suffer from emotional eating:

• Do you eat more when you feel stressed?
• Do you eat even when you are not hungry or when you are full?
• Do you eat to feel better (to calm you down when you're sad, bored, anxious, etc.)?
• Do you reward yourself with food?
• Does food make you feel safe? Do you feel like food is your friend?
• Do you feel helpless and have no control over the amount of food you consume?

If most of the answers to the questions are yes, you or a loved one has an overeating problem.