I'd kill for a....

Can I let you in on a secret?

I crave sugary food when I am stressed.

If I just got some bad news, I’m headed to the Starv'n Marvin - look out Little Debbie snack cakes and 64oz diet cokes!

Truth is, I crave salty foods when I am tired or bored and I eat comfort foods like pasta when I am blue.

Come on, I know many of you are like me? Be honest... how many of you eat based on how you feel? Go ahead raise your hands… I won’t tell.

Many of us eat in response to a particular evnt or emotion. It is human nature really. Think about it, this type of eating behavior has survived throughout evolution for a reason. Eating used to be associated with survival. Only the fittest (i.e., strongest and most nourished) survive. So over time we have developed a connection between eating and our very survival.

Eating has become a protective mechanism! (Not sure where Portillo’s hot dogs fit in but just go with me here).

We live in a time of abundance when many of us are surrounded by food options every day, many of which are fast food or unhealthy food. The threat of starvation for most of us is slim. Yet our associations with food and eating, remain similar. Like many other evolutionary based associations (think of fears of snakes, spiders, and heights), the connections remain, even though there are certainly more dangerous things in our environments these days.

While the connection between food and survival remains, the difference is that we have become much more discriminating about food. We feel like we need certain foods at certain times.

Upsetting emotions like depression, anxiety or fear, stress, and boredom can trigger the desire to “save” ourselves from threat by eating. Back in time, the threat was starving to death, and now our emotions themselves embody the perception of threat.

With depression, the threat is a dismal or hopeless future. With anxiety and fear, the threat is imminent danger of harm or humiliation. With stress, the threat is being overwhelmed and not being able to function effectively. Finally, with boredom, the threat is the absence of anything fulfilling or enjoyable.

So, we want to help ourselves survive the threat. We do so by craving and eating certain foods.

“I would die for a double fudge brownie”
“I need some Micky D's fries right now.”
“I cannot go on without some chocolate.”

Ever said any of these things? Even though you may have said them in jest, there probably a grain of seriousness in them. Your brain has perceived some sort of threat in your life and has responded by saying “EAT NOW!”

Ironically, the food you would "die for" is likely to actually make you die sooner. We rarely crave carrot sticks or legumes - instead we crave "death by chocolate" cake. (aptly named huh?)

Why do we crave certain foods along with certain emotions?

There are primarily two reasons:

First, these foods are typically inherently rewarding or enjoyable in the short term. This is obvious, right? They taste good.

Second, we learn to associate cravings with vaious emotions over time. We learn based on the responses our behaviors get. For instance, if I feel stressed and crave Little Debbie brownies and I eat the brownies and then feel better (at least initially), what have I learned? To associate relieving stress with eating Little Debbie brownies.

So what do you do next time you think, “I would kill for a piece of pizza”?
Consider whether there is something else threatening to you, such as a negative emotion. Then figure out what you typically crave along with that particular emotion.

Once you've figured that out, do not eat that food that you are craving. You do not further your association of relieving the negative emotion with eating a particular food. Instead, try something to break up that learned response... do something like going for a walk to create a new association. Pretty soon you’ll be saying “I live for a great walk” rather than, “I would die for a cheeseburger.”

Til Next Time….