Tips to help you beat food addiction

Planning is essential when counting calories.Credit: Wikimedia Commons, Fluff

Food addiction is something I have fought for most of my life. It was only during the past few months that I have been able to get a grip on my eating habits. I know that food addiction is a problem among many Americans and decided that it was time I shared the information I had learned. I hope the following tips can help you begin the road to recovery so that you can help yourself beat the addiction.

Stop Buying Bad Foods

It may sound obvious, but if you continue to bring bad foods into your home, you will continue to eat them. I have found that if I just stop buying bad foods, I have an easier time eating healthier foods. The simple reason is I'm not about to get in the car and drive down to the local grocery store to grab a snack and chances are you won't either. I won't lie. It can be hard not to purchase the foods you've been buying. You may even seem lost the first time you go shopping. A great way to prevent this is to be prepared. Make a menu for the week that includes snack foods that are healthy, such as fruit, whole grain snacks and low-fat dairy products. You should also evaluate your family's favorite meals to ensure that they are healthy. If not, you can start looking for ways to make the meals healthier.

Keep a Food Journal

Another problem I faced was having a bite of this and that while I cooked meals. The problem is all those little bites add up. In all honesty, you need to keep track of any food or drink that goes in your mouth. This will give you a better idea of how many calories you're consuming. Not only do you need to track the food you eat, but you should also be aware of how you feel before and after eating. You need to make note of whether or not you were actually hungry, if you were mindlessly eating or if the food filled you up. Last, but not least, you should also discuss how you feel emotionally. Were you depressed when you broke down and ate that pint of ice cream? Understanding your emotions can help you better understand your food addiction. Once you pinpoint the underlining emotions, you can work on better ways for dealing with your feelings.

Eat to Fuel, Not to Entertain

As a foodie, I will tell that it's difficult to look at food as fuel, rather than entertainment. Over the past decade, food has become more of an activity than a chore. People not only watch cooking shows, but spend hours creating complicated meals for their guests. We have come to the point that food is just as entertaining as a good movie. Many of us even turn to food because of boredom. One way you can start looking at food as fuel is to make your meals mundane. For example, eat the same thing for lunch every day. Another thing you can do is to only choose foods that offer nutritional value. If something is filled with empty calories, it shouldn't be going in your body.