Fitness Book

We eat for many reasons. Sure, to survive we need regular doses of calories, but for most of us, eating has come to fulfill many needs. Eating behavior can be healthy, harmful, or even detrimental to our well-being. See if you recognize your habits.

Eating and Mood

 

For many people, food has become a source of comfort. We turn to food to fulfill needs that are left unmet by our relationships or by society-at-large. Ever feel lonely and instead of calling up a friend, you head for the freezer to scoop out some ice cream? Does a moment of meaninglessness ease up after filling yourself with potato chips? That satiated feeling can comfort us in our depression, insecurity, anxiety, and stress. But as you will see, it can also create some unhealthy habits that are hard to break.

 

Depression afflicts all of us at some time or another. Things just don’t seem to be going our way. the seasons change and we are left with seemingly endless grey, cold days. Or something happens in our life that effects us profoundly, such as the death of a loved one, a sudden job loss, or a relationship that has soured. Whatever the reason is, in our greyer moments we find ourselves standing in front of an open refrigerator, contemplating our options. We’re not hungry, in fact we just ate. But that dull, empty feeling goes away when we’re eating and eases when we’re stuffed with food. 

 

Anxiety can make us jittery and uncertain. Every choice can seem overwhelming, we don’t know what the good options are because everything seems threatening. Eating can be seen as a constant in our world that brings comfort and reassurance. We can turn to food when nothing else is available.

 

Stress needs an antidote. When things are hard at work, or not going well in a relationship, we can make bad food decisions. Fast food replaces a home cooked meal as we race from one activity to another. Alcohol provides fast relaxation, but it can also put us into denial over what is really going on. Feeling full relaxes us, and we can overeat.

 

Eating for Weight Loss

 

Binge Dieting is an emotional and physical roller coaster. We starve ourselves to loose those extra pounds, and then we end up binging on the bad stuff when we can’t take it anymore. Our weight goes up and down, in good times and bad, and we can’t seem to hold on to our target weight no matter what techniques or pills we try. Not only does our metabolism suffer, but so does our state of mind. We’re either praising ourselves for turning down the tiramisu or berating ourselves for giving in to the cheesecake, plus helping ourselves to a second slice. This can lead to serious psychological problems.

Bulimia is a serious and potentially life-threatening habit. We binge and then throw it up. We obsess about food, cook marvelous dinners, and then literally throw it all down the drain. While we may be eating, our bodies are starving.

 

Anorexia is also a serious and potentially life-threatening habit. Starving ourselves to achieve not only an ideal body, but sometimes a distorted sense of beauty (in which bones show and skin droops and sags) leads to major health issues.

 

Eating for Health

 

A Balanced Diet ensures that we maintain our energy levels, which can carry us through hard times. We eat fruits and vegetables for their antioxidants and fiber. We eat whole grains for their carbohydrates and fiber. And we eat reasonable portions of meat or meat-alternatives for their protein. This way we can maintain a healthy weight. The right portions and good choices can even help us lose weight. Maintaining this regularly will stabilize our metabolism. Eating smaller portions more frequently can help our digestion.

 

What Habits Do You Choose?

 

Ingraining a healthy way of eating into our lives is essential to avoid future physical and mental health problems. But the first step to good eating behavior is to become aware of what habits are driving us. Take this self-understanding and use it to eat with mindfulness, knowing that you can create the support systems you need to fill your emotional needs, or to overcome health-endangering ways of eating and thinking.