Eating my troubles away…

By Riley Taljaard

Why do we eat when we sad, angry, depressed or frustrated? One possible reason is, our childhood. Very often good behavior is rewarded with sweets; and when a child falls and hurts themselves or is bullied they are given a sweet to console them.

If this is common practice when we are growing up, is it really so hard to see where we get our habits from? Don't get me wrong I'm not blaming mothers or teachers for trying to make a child feel better but perhaps its time for all of us to look at different ways to feel better in any given situation.

If you bump your head it hurts; you learn from that and try not to repeat the experience. In the same way, if you bump your head and, as a small child, you are consoled with food, wont you learn that that is how to make pain go away?

A little science explained

When we eat simple carbohydrates our brain releases serotonin; the feel-good hormone. When under stress ,serotonin levels in the brain drop. Cortisole in our bodies increases when we are under chronic stress and when not getting enough sleep. The result is a craving for salty and sweet foods.

Lepin is a chemical in our body that tells us we are full and to burn more calories. The body doesn't always respond to the leptin in the body, as it should. High fructose corn syrup has been found to inhibit the bodies ability to recognize the leptin and therefore be able to eat vast quantities of food. Studies have reviled that 30min of moderate activity helps the body to become more receptive to leptin.

Grelin is produced by the cells in our stomach and stimulates hormones in our bodies to let us know that we should eat. Processed foods are so alien to our bodies that our bodies don't always recognize the food we eat. It is best to eat food that is as close to nature as possible. If you read the label on a product and it sounds like you need to be a scientist to understand what everything is; avoid it.

We all enjoy nice food, so why do some people struggle more than others. There are always choices to be made that can help to keep the weight off.

1. 1.Take diet out if your vocabulary. The word has such a negative connotation. Have you ever heard someone saying they are going on a diet on Monday so they are going to go crazy over the weekend? Human nature causes us to desire that which we cannot have. Don't deprive yourself of anything,limit the quantities.
2. 2.Cook your own food, at least you have control over what goes into it.
3. 3.Social events don't all have to revolve around food. Go hiking, to the movies etc.
4. 4.In stressful situations be aware of how your body wants to respond….eat, eat eat. Try to find what works for you to control those urges.
5. 5.Drink plain water. Sometimes we feel hungry when in actual fact we are dehydrated.
6. 6.Don't forget to have 30min of moderate activity daily.
7. 7.Don't make excuses, take control of your life
8. 8.There are times when you need to be kind to yourself. Stop beating yourself up for whatever you are unhappy with and move on. Don't dwell on the negative.
9. 9.Surround yourself with positive people, friends you can rely on. a good friend is priceless
10. 10.Get into a healthy routine. Start your day if possible with exercise. That way you don't have time to come up with excuses.

We all have stress in our lives. How we react to that stress, is up to us. We can blame stress for everything in our lives, or we can take control of our lives.