Our Hunter Gatherer’s brains have been taken over, hijacked by modern foods. This changes our hormones and our neurotransmitters so when we try to stop, we go through actual physical withdrawal symptoms.
Similarly to drug withdrawal we can experience irritability, restlessness, low energy, cramps, stomach ache, low blood pressure, brain fog, sadness, nausea, headaches, depression, bowel issues and a lack of sleep to name just a few! These unpleasant withdrawal symptoms can make it very hard to push on through and many people can find themselves heading back to poor food choices.
In order to combat food addiction it is important to remove what is known as “The Toxic Triangle” of sugar, grains and unnatural fats (seed oils) and where possible to also remove all psychoactive substances such as alcohol, cigarettes or other recreational drugs that might also be present.
When putting a meal plan together stick to the general rule of thumb; prioritise protein, eat fat to satiety and limit carbohydrates. Try to avoid any foods that can lead to more and loss of control. Low carbohydrate fruits, nuts, foods with artificial sweeteners and also dairy can fall into this category.Trigger foods are any foods where one bite leads to too many bites, if you have food addiction there is no safe amount and you should minimise the risk of temptation by removing these trigger foods from your environment.
Remember that addiction is a disease of the brain, it causes the addict to go against their own values which can often lead to feelings of shame or failure. Irrational and compulsive thoughts can creep in, we can unfairly judge ourselves and feed our brains with all sorts of false truths.
So when you go shopping, take your inner caveman with you and try to make some better choices. By taking out the toxic triangle and avoiding your trigger foods you will start to see huge benefits. You will have less cravings, stable energy, stable mood, decreased inflammation, better concentration, normal blood sugar, better health markers and hopefully you will sleep better too.
