In the act of eating, although it may seem like only a physical act, psychological variables are also involved. For this reason, in recent times there is a certain awareness of how the emotional state affects our diet and how it affects our emotional state.
In fact, as we explain in the article “Night Eater Syndrome: causes, symptoms and treatment of this eating disorder”, anxiety or depression can lead a person to experience a strong desire to eat. Now, anxiety about eating can have different causes: psychological, endocrine, contextual causes, etc.
In this article We will talk about anxiety about eating and what we can do to reduce it
Reducing anxiety about eating is possible if different strategies are carried out that include mental, nutritional, lifestyle aspects, etc. But what are these strategies? In the following lines we explain them to you.
1. 5 meals a day
Our habits play a very important role in developing food anxiety, and for this reason the times we eat and the number of times we do it per day It affects our level of hunger. If we have a more or less fixed schedule, we give the body a message about when we are going to eat food.
Eat 5 meals a day It is key so that the body is well nourished and there is less chance of snacking between meals If we feel satiated, the anxiety to eat is reduced.
2. Remove from your sight those foods that you do not want to eat
Many times anxiety about eating can arise because we have seen that chocolate bar in the refrigerator or those cookies in the kitchen cabinet. There are foods that are irresistible temptations, especially those rich in fat and sugar In fact, food stimulates the same brain regions as drugs, brain areas such as those associated with pleasure, so it is advisable to avoid certain stimuli that lead us to eat impulsively.
Although this brain area related to pleasure helps us repeat behaviors that are necessary for our survival, this biological strategy may not be entirely appropriate when the food is not of quality. The reinforcement area, which is the brain region that intervenes in this process, is located in the Ventral Tegmental Area.
3. Eat complex carbohydrates
Our diet can make us more or less hungry during the day. An example of this is when we eat industrial pastries and foods that cause hyperglycemia. With this type of food we may feel satiated at the moment, but after a short time we feel great anxiety about eating because the drop in sugar causes a compulsive eating effect called “carving”. The best alternative to avoid this is to eat foods with complex carbohydrates For example, brown rice, which keeps blood sugar at bay and keeps us fuller for longer.
4. Do physical exercise
Anxiety about food can also appear when we do not have healthy habits that allow us to be disciplined. Therefore, practicing physical exercise and eating healthy foods keeps us in check and helps us with our general well-being. Positive self-esteem, which increases if we play sports but if we do not become obsessed with sports training, also affects our mood. This also has an impact when it comes to not feeling anxious about food
Mindfulness is an ancient practice that has its origins in Buddhist wisdom, and that allows a person to live in the present moment, in connection with themselves and that helps to adopt a mentality of self-compassion.
Mindfulness can also be related to food , what is known as conscious eating. This practice allows a change towards a healthy life, towards finding our own body and what we eat, which provides greater enjoyment of food, greater health and reduces anxiety about eating.
6. Be aware of what you eat and inform yourself
But not only can you become aware of what you eat with Mindfulness eating, but you can also learn about nutrition in general, something that will provide you with knowledge and help you choose those foods that will make you feel better. Eat foods low in sugar, high in fiber, or high in protein They are options that will allow us to reduce anxiety about eating. Your body will surely thank you, and your mind too.
7. Don’t obsess over calories
It’s not bad to keep an approximate calorie count, but assume that it is normal to go over the limit you have set for yourself and that, even if in a week you have managed to maintain a very healthy diet, You should treat yourself to food that you really like, regardless of what makes you fat ; This will serve as a reward to motivate you and will also help you relieve tension, which will prevent you from ending up bingeing out of pure frustration and suffering more anxiety because of it.
Many habits we have can affect our well-being, and the same thing can happen when it comes to eating. Sometimes it is not easy to modify some behaviors and some people may suffer from emotional problems or disorders that cause anxiety about eating. We have already talked about Night Eating Syndrome in the entry to this article, but there are other disorders, for example, Binge Eating Disorder, that are also related to anxiety.
On the other hand, much research suggests that Depression can lead a person to eat large amounts of food For this reason, there may be a psychological problem behind the anxiety about eating that should be treated by a specialist, and psychologists can do an excellent job in this regard.
Eating psychology
A trend that is gaining more and more acceptance and in which the work of the psychologist is extremely important is the Psychology of Eating. And it is that our mind and our body are closely related and that is why food anxiety can be understood from this discipline.
The psychology of eating covers such interesting topics as: What foods affect our mood? o How is the management of emotions decisive when following a dietary plan?
