Overcoming Emotional Eating
If shoving junk food in my mouth to cope with strong emotions were an Olympic sport, I would have many gold medals. Emotional eating began at a young age when my grandmother would give me my favorite treats. I can remember picking boysenberries from the vine in her yard as a toddler. She let me eat a bowl of them.
About a month ago, I decided to use what I learned about emotional regulation while doing dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). When I had the urge late at night to eat a snack, I wrote down how I felt. I noted where I felt the emotion in my body and would ride out the urge to eat. I have had a few setbacks this month, but I continue breaking the habit of emotional eating.
Nutrition & Trauma Recovery
Because I know that good nutrition is important for trauma recovery, I focus on eating healthier. Dr. James S. Gordon’s book, The Transformation: Discovering Wholeness and Healing After Trauma, recommends eating whole foods and ditching processed foods. Gordon also recommends eating non-starchy vegetables while including starchy vegetables in moderation, eating fruits in moderation, and making plant protein, such as legumes, a major part of your diet.
Khiron Clinics, which helps people recover from trauma, recommends the following:
Increasing your consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, including salmon, tuna, nuts, seeds, and plant oils. Omega-3 foods can reduce inflammation.
Eating foods high in protein. There are plenty of plant-based options to choose from, including tofu, tempeh, seitan, and legumes.
Eating foods rich in magnesium, such as greens, nuts, seeds, dry beans, and whole grains.
Eating foods with antioxidants, such as blueberries, strawberries, artichokes, and dark leafy greens.
Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, low in processed foods, and added sugar helps mental health. France’s food recommendations, which I find easier to follow than the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s My Plate, suggest eating five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. I like to include a serving or two of fruit for breakfast, a vegetable or fruit for lunch, vegetables for dinner, and fruit as a dessert after dinner.
France’s recommendations also include a handful of nuts per day. I eat legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.) at least twice per week, and whole grains at least twice daily, preferably with every meal. I admit I haven’t yet included a whole grain with every meal. One way to get those whole grains in is by swapping whole wheat pasta for the low fiber kind. Another way is to swap white rice for bulgur, brown rice, or quinoa.
Foods To Eat In Moderation
A study linked childhood trauma to inflammation as an adult. Another study found that inflammation induces anxiety, and that is something we do not need to increase. So, what foods cause inflammation? Here are three foods common to the American diet that studies show cause inflammation:
Meat. First up is meat. Many studies link meat to inflammation. Americans consume around 274 pounds of meat a year on average. The amount of meat consumed by Americans has increased by 40 percent since 1961.
Added sugars. Nutrition experts recommend consuming around six teaspoons of sugar or less a day. However, the average American eats about 17 teaspoons of added sugar every day. Eating too much added sugar causes chronic inflammation, research shows.
Refined carbs. Research links refined carbs to inflammation. Like sugar, refined carbs cause blood sugar to increase. A study found that 42 percent of daily calories come from low-quality carbs.
I have learned that allowing myself to have a popsicle every day keeps me from binging on sugary treats. Yes, they are number two on the above list of inflammatory foods. However, I am not DIEting. I am learning how to eat for my health and pleasure. I seek balance in all areas of my life.
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