Toxic eating and your cravings – the fast food drug
Toxic food such as fast foods which include fatty foods, burgers, hot chips, pizza, pasta etc. not only pollute your body but can affect your mood making you feel sad and also cause you to crave them in the future. Emotional eating and can lead to weight gain. Eating toxic fast foods is like taking a drug in some ways as the cravings for them become addictive.
Cravings and toxic food addiction
Craving salt may mean you have low cortisol levels caused by chronic stress overtaxing the adrenals. Craving sugar may mean you have hormonal issues. Either way these cravings mean you have nutritional deficiencies which will, given time, affect your health.
These foods are toxic and notorious for causing addiction. They are high in carbohydrates, fat, sugar and artificial sweeteners. This causes the brain to release chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin. They tend to numb negative emotions and cause moments of happiness creating a cycle that leads to addiction for these type of toxic foods.
Signs of food addiction include craving food even though you are full, over eating or eating more than you intended to (such as a whole bar of chocolate instead of just a piece or two) and then feeling guilty about it, only do the same thing again on a regular basis. Hiding your eating from others is another sign you may have an addiction. This toxic food addiction can be caused by depression, sadness or a deficiency in Omega 3.
Controlling your cravings
It is important to not cut out fats altogether as your body will most likely crave them even more. Cutting the fat out of your diet too much can also be bad for your health. Low-fat diets are not as effective for weight loss. New evidence suggests they are not better for the heart. Fats create and protect your white blood cells and other cells that repair damaged wall linings. The body also needs cholesterol to produce important hormones such as cortisol. Be sure to eat good-quality fats like virgin olive or coconut oil. Meat is a good source of saturated fats and fish to provide healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Add chickpeas and red kidney beans to your diet to create a feeling of fullness. It has a similar feeling to eating fatty, toxic foods.
Reduce your stress levels as stress affects your body more than you think. Stress also affects the way your body metabolises fats. The way it affects this is it leads your body to respond to healthy and unhealthy fats as though they are both bad for you and this causes the body to increase inflammation. To reduce your stress try yoga, meditation, go for a peaceful walk, go to the gym and exercise away your stresses or indulge in any activity that you enjoy to take your mind off your negative thinking.
A visit to a natural therapist may give you good insight into which foods you are craving that point to deficiencies in your body. Once you begin supplementation of vitamins and minerals and start eating a healthier diet you will find those cravings for toxic fast food will easily disappear. You will feel healthier, look healthier and be more productive.
