I’m fascinated with the relationship most people have with food. With many people it’s a love/hate situation. They love the taste of certain foods but hate the guilty feelings they get knowing these foods are not very healthy for them.
They love the rush they get when they take a bite into something filled with sugar, but they hate the crash and burn feeling that hits 30 to 60 minutes later.
What’s happening is they are falling prey to what’s called the bliss point. It was revealed some years ago that the food industry has processed lots of foods to hit that "bliss point" — that perfect amount of sweetness that would send eaters over the moon.
The bliss point is also triggered with salt and oil in foods. The bliss point is actually very harmful. So much in fact, obesity rates are on the rise and can be traced back to the amount of sugar, salt and oils we consume on a daily basis.
Sugar Consumption is Out of Control
According to many experts, in 1700 average consumption of sugar in the developed world was approximately 4 pounds per year. This accounted for less than 1% of caloric intake.
By 1800 this had risen to approximately 18 pounds and by 1900 it was 60 pounds. In 1970, we ate 123 pounds of sugar per year. Today, the average American consumes almost 152 pounds of sugar in one year. This is equal to 3 pounds (or 6 cups) of sugar consumed in one week!
Much of this has to do with food manufacturers “hiding” sugar in processed food. Sadly, many people are not aware how much sugar they consume. As their waistlines and risk of disease increases, so does the deceit of the food industry.
One person who is a renowned investigative reporter on the subject is Michael Moss of The New York Times.
Moss is the author of Salt, Sugar, Fat. He discovered during research for his book just how widespread the practice of companies spending millions of dollars to hit the Bliss Point actually is.
The shocking news is that food manufactures have included unhealthy ingredients into foods you may not give much through to. Foods like breads and pasta sauce, “healthy” cereals and pretty much any food you find in a box.
How to Reverse Food Addiction
As a result, the obesity crises has gotten to a point of being irreversible. Yet, when you tune into what your body is actually in need of, you find that there are very healthy ways to reverse your dependence on foods designed to turn you into a food addict.
Additionally, when you notice the times you most crave certain foods, you discover that your cravings actually have very little to do with real hunger. Rather, they have to do with emotions.
Tune Into Your Emotions
Weight problems often have little to do with the food you’re eating and more to do with how you feel. We’ve all experienced food cravings. When we see something upsetting on television, feel angry or bored, or have had a rough day, we soothe ourselves with something sweet, crunchy, or creamy. Whether you turn to ice cream, candy, crackers, or chips, you know what it’s like to use food to heal a painful emotion.
Then there is the binge hangover – the feelings of disgust, judgment, and shame in regard to what you just splurged on, that make you feel even worse than before you put that first morsel into your mouth.
Emotions strongly impact our eating and our cravings. When we release some of the stress, guilt, and drama in our lives, we find more balance in our eating – we are drawn to foods that are better for us, eat only when hungry, and stop eating when full. We find true joy and peace in eating and food, as the Creator intended.
Emotional imbalances can be 85 to 95 percent of our eating and weight struggles. We unknowingly hold on to our emotions at a subconscious level where they can affect our eating without our realizing it.
Emotions can cause pain and discomfort in many ways, including food cravings and eating disorders. The emotions trapped in your subconscious can actually take up space in your body. The result can be pain, eating disorders, and being overweight or underweight, among other problems.
Awareness is the First Step
The first step in breaking any addiction is to be aware that you are addicted. Next, it’s about making a decision to change what you are doing. And finally, it’s making the change.
One of the best ways to turn your unhealthy eating into healthy eating is to tune into what your body is asking for. How do you do this? One way is simply allow yourself to drop inward and ask yourself, “What am I actually in need of at this moment in time?”
You’d be amazed at the answers you get when you do this. For further information on how to tune into what you need, check out The Food Codes; Intuitive Eating for Every Body available on Amazon at https://amzn.to/2HkUV1Z
In it, I go into a lot of detail on how to choose the best food for you, personally. Foods that will give you vibrancy, vitality, energy and not leave you feeling like you have a rock laying in your stomach.
Lana Nelson is a Certified Emotion and Body Code consultant; Lana has developed one of the easiest techniques on the planet to help anyone discover what foods really are “good for you!”
Access her FREE eBook - The Food Codes™ Top 10 Energy Foods. https://thefoodcodes.com/top-10-energy-foods/
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