Institute for the Psychology of Eating

Navigating the field of nutrition and the world of food is challenging and it can be difficult for an individual to even know where to start.  There are an endless number of opposing opinions, schools of thought, and myths that muddy the waters and make things confusing for anyone trying to find their way in this vast world of information.  We all have relationships with food that started long before we can even remember and are more complex than we may have ever imagined.  Finding the right person to help make sense of each individual’s personal needs and help them to reach their goals can be difficult, but it is possible!  Our friends at the Institute for the Psychology of Eating have been helping people for over three decades and carry a wonderful message of recovery and hope.

A Sustainable Approach

As we all know, fad diets simply do not work in the long term.  While an individual may see some initial results with some of these diets, the truth is that they are not sustainable over a long period of time.  In most cases, a person will return to their previous ways, and any progress that was made will simply fade away.  The professionals at the Institute for the Psychology of Eating have a different way looking at a person’s relationship with food, and focus on a number of areas to help each client meet their goals.  The approach that they use is called Dynamic Eating Psychology, and recognizes that everyone’s experience with food is directly influenced by families, relationships, careers, and the search for fulfillment and happiness.

Dynamic Eating Psychology

The institute has had wonderful success with their approach to food and nutrition, and individuals have had great results in regard to weight loss by using their techniques.  Even more powerful than just changes in weight, their philosophies really help to heal people from a more personal standpoint as they assist in transforming beliefs about body image and food habits.  In addition, Dynamic Eating Psychology takes a look at how a person’s mental state can influence immunity, digestion, and possible food allergies.  Taking a look on this deeper level and helping individual’s to cultivate their own personal relationship with food can help to insure a longer lasting and more meaningful transformation.

Seeking Help

The current worldwide nutrition climate has changed and we are now living in a time with a food supply that is different that it has ever been.  Consumers are surrounded with and endless supply of highly processed foods, and now more than ever are eating less food in its natural state.  It is important that individuals start to make the necessary changes, before things start to get even more out of control.  The professionals at the Institute for the Psychology of Eating can assist with their approach that honors each person’s body, mind, heart, and soul.  They are available to help heal and transform the relationship with food and to unite the science of nutrition along with the psychology of eating.  Weight prejudice as well as body hate are old ways of thinking, and there is hope for every eating concern. 

If you or anyone you know is ready to make some changes and start a new life, please feel free to reach out to our colleagues at the Institute for the Psychology of Eating or to us here at Nutrition in Recovery.

http://psychologyofeating.com/

The Truth About Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners have become hugely popular in today’s society as people look for quick fixes and ways to cut corners with their diet.  These products boast claims as having zero calories and that they are a safe alternative to sugar, but is it really that simple?  Are these artificial sweeteners safe to consume without having any effect on the human body?  There is new information emerging all of the time, and many studies are now showing that these sweeteners that were once deemed safe, may not be that harmless after all. 

Conditioning The Brain

One of the concerns with the use of artificial sweeteners in food and drinks is that they condition a person to think things need to taste sweet to be good.  Take for instance an individual that switches from a sugary soda to one that is sweetened artificially.  While they may be cutting out the empty calories and sugar, which is a good thing, they are still reinforcing their preference for items that taste sweet.  So what is wrong with having a preference for sweet things?  If a person has been conditioned to seek out sweet food and drinks, the probability is great that they won’t enjoy things that do not light up the sugar center in the brain.  Healthy food choices including vegetables, whole grains, and water are not sweet, and it is less likely that someone that consumes artificial sweeteners will seek these items out.

Link To Weight Gain

When a person decides to replace sugary food and drinks with items that are artificially sweetened, there may be an initial reduction in calorie intake.  However, it is believed that in most cases this is very short lived, and individuals simply make up for that caloric deficit by eating other processed foods throughout the day.  In short, a person really isn’t fixing the problem by switching to artificial sweeteners, but is simply masking it and compensating with other things. 

Aspartame in particular contains both aspartate and phenylalanine.  These chemicals can interfere with hunger hormones leptin and insulin, and influence fat storage and metabolism.  Consuming artificial sweeteners can increase a person’s appetite and keep them hungry by preventing them from knowing when they have eaten enough.

Gut Health

The connection between artificial sweeteners and the bacteria that lives in the human digestive tract is something that is to be considered, as it may have larger implications than once believed.  There are studies that show these types of sweeteners support the growth and health of a particular bacterial population that assists the body with the storage of fat as opposed to the breakdown of food for energy.  Furthermore, it is suggested that the body’s tissues have difficulty absorbing glucose from the blood, which can lead to glucose intolerance.  This condition can contribute to a higher risk of heart and liver disease, as well as diabetes.

How To Proceed

When making decisions on what food choices are right for you, it is important to consider that there are no “free calories”.  These artificial sweeteners may seem like a blessing, but every choice a person makes does have an impact, and everything you do does matter. 

If you are used to eating foods that are sweet, it will initially be a challenge to remove sweetened products from your diet.  The good news is, that if you stick with it, your tastes will actually change back and the drive to seek out overly sweet foods will lessen.

The most important thing is to get back to eating more food that grows from the ground or falls from a tree, and less food that is being designed by someone in a white lab coat.

Give it a try!  Believe it or not, the artificially sweetened foods that you once found to be deliciously irresistible will soon taste unnatural and too sweet. 

What have you got to lose?

Eating Disorders And The Male Population

What do you think of when you think of an eating disorder?  What image comes to your mind?  For many people, the idea of a young, middle class, white, female, purging after a meal in hopes of not gaining weight is the first thing they think of.  This is certainly the stereotypical image, but the truth is that eating disorders impact the lives of individuals of all ages, races, economic status, and genders.  So why do we hear so little about men that struggle with eating disorders?  Men as well as women are affected by eating disorders, but there are some different challenges that they face in regard to seeking and receiving treatment.

The Difference Between Males And Females

Part of the problem with the diagnosis of an eating disorder in the male population, is that the criteria for recognizing these conditions is generally gender specific to females.  For instance, part of the diagnostic criteria for anorexia is the fear of fatness and amenorrhea, or the absence of menstruation.  Other guidelines, in which this condition is typically diagnosed, include the use of laxatives or vomiting in order to keep weight down.  While this may certainly be true for the female population and a portion of their male counterparts, men are typically more likely to use compulsive exercise as a way to “purge” after eating.

A “Female” Disorder

Due to the fact that the public views eating disorders as a female issue, there can be a great deal of shame for a male who is struggling with one of these conditions.  For a male suffering from bulimia, this shame can lead to a delay in them seeking treatment, or keep them from ever seeking help at all.  In the case of binge eating disorder, it is much more likely to go unnoticed in the male population versus the same condition with a female.

Difficulties In Treatment

One of the obstacles in treating men with eating disorders is that it is far less common for a medical doctor to diagnose a male with one of these conditions.  Male eating disorders do not receive the attention that females do, and that has lead to fewer facilities that treat or specialize with the male population.  The difficulty in diagnosing and treating this population has lead to an imbalance between men and women with eating disorders, and has continued to perpetuate the problem.

Bringing It To The Forefront

We know that the male population suffers from disordered eating in the same way that women do.  It is important that we start to lift the stigma, remove the stereotype, and educate the public on this reality.  Living with an untreated eating disorder is painful, and it is important that individuals feel comfortable with coming forward to ask for help.  These conditions are life threatening and males as well as females need support to overcome them.

Men and women, please come forward!  We are here to help!

Stages Of Change

On the road to recovery and a life without the influence of drugs or alcohol, there are several phases that a person will go through.  Learning to live without the use of mood altering substances is challenging, and it is a skill that must be practiced and learned just like any other.

The first phase that a person will encounter is referred to as unconscious incompetent.  This period of time is actually not one of recovery, but happens before an individual even knows that there may be a problem.  The “incompetent” refers to a person’s behavior, in that it is potentially harmful and damaging. The “unconscious” refers to the individual’s awareness, in that they don’t even know that what they are doing may have dire consequences.  In this period of use, a person is using chemicals, but is yet to have any consequences.  They have not had any trouble with the law, lost a job, or had to drop out of school due to their drug or alcohol consumption.    

The second phase that an individual will enter is called the conscious incompetent phase.  Just like the first stage, the “incompetent” refers to the person’s behavior.  They are acting in a way that is unhealthy and potentially dangerous.  The difference between this and the first phase is that they have now become “conscious” of the fact that their actions are harmful and there may be consequences.  This awareness can be brought on by many different situations, but it alerts the user to the fact that what they are doing has become a problem.  An example of this would be someone getting arrested for a DWI or having a friend overdose from drug use.  This could also be brought on by something more subtle such as a friend commenting that they seem different or certain people not wanting to spend time with them.  There is a switch in thinking during this phase from a more carefree way of drinking or using, to one in which a person now realizes that their behavior is starting to have consequences.

For individuals that seek help with their addiction, they will move into the third phase, which is called consciously competent.  In this period of recovery, a person is starting to learn skills and techniques that will help them to stay sober.  They have stopped using and are taking steps to change their behavior and thinking patterns.  The “competent” refers to their behavior being non-destructive and healthier than in the past.  This part of recovery takes a lot of focus on the part of the individual, and is referred to as “conscious”, as it is something that they will have to think about quite a bit in order to be successful.  An example of actions in this phase would be attending 90 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in 90 days, or calling a sponsor twice a day.  During this time, it is common for a person to avoid difficult situations or people that may trigger cravings or a relapse.  Each person is different, and recovery varies for everyone, but the concept during this time is that in order to be successful, a person really has to devote some time and energy into making it happen.

The fourth and final phase of this process is called unconsciously competent.  Like the previous period, the “competent” refers to a person’s behavior.  In this case, the behavior is such that it is not causing any harm or doing any damage to an individual or those around them.  They are able to live in a productive and healthy manner without the use of alcohol or other substances.  The “unconscious” in this section points to a person behaving this way without having to concentrate on it too hard.  These actions have been practiced and improved upon, and in this phase are almost done automatically.  This is similar to the 11^th promise of Alcoholics Anonymous, which states, “we will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.”  A person that is living in this part of recovery has transformed their life to the point that new ways of thinking and living have completely taken over their former destructive behaviors.  Behaving in this new way has now become the norm, and making healthy, rational decisions has become easier.

These four different phases of substance use and recovery describe several areas that individuals may experience, but that doesn’t mean that it always moves in a forward motion.  These stages do not outline the steps to a cure, and a person is able to move between them at any time.  It is quite possible for an individual in the consciously competent stage to have a relapse and move backward into the consciously incompetent stage.  It is also a possibility that a person living in the final stage may have to pay more attention to their sobriety during certain parts of their life.  For example, when a person goes through a difficult time or tragedy, it may be necessary for them to spend more time thinking about and focusing on their sobriety.

Every situation is different and there are as many recovery programs as there are people.  It is important to recognize that there are no time limits or guidelines as to how long a person may spend in one part or another.  The essential thing to keep in mind is that there is hope for recovery, and with practice, making the right decisions will become easier and eventually be made unconsciously.