Addictions and Food
Written by: Cheryl Meyer, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
I want to address the “elephant in the room” – food addiction.
You want to adopt healthier habits, lose weight, eat the rainbow and upgrade the quality of your food to solve a health issue, but you don’t have the “will power” to win.
Maybe you have a weight issue and have “tried” your entire life to solve it. And you own every diet book that has been written; you have tried every diet, but you lose, and then you gain more, and you are frustrated.
Maybe you have diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, or even fatty liver, but you cannot sustain new habits.
You have a heart problem, cancer, or an autoimmune disease and are taking lots of pills. You want to improve your diet, but it is boring. You feel deprived.
Or are you a parent of a chronically ill child? As a good mom, you want to help your child, but how?
The truth is you are addicted to the ingredients in processed foods. Sugar is as addictive as cocaine. Synthetic ingredients are purposely addictive. These foods are loaded with addictive MSG, now hidden under 30 names.
Big Food is not in the business of manufacturing healthy food. They are in the business of making a profit. Processed and fast foods are loaded with inexpensive synthetic ingredients that taste great but are “fake foods” and offer little nutrition.
In Pandora’s Box, a book by a former New York Times food critic, the author uncovers how Big Food has replaced real foods with the inventions of food science. They are now using “food-like substances” that taste good but purposely addict you.
Your body is starved for nutrition; it holds on to what little nutrition you eat. By eating processed food and sugar, you are starving your body.
It has nothing to do with “will power;” it has to do with addiction.
Sugar and synthetic ingredients turn off your two hunger hormones. To win, you need to break your addiction to these ingredients and reactivate the hormones that regulate appetite.
Leptin controls your hunger. When leptin is not working properly, your brain thinks it is starving, so you are driven to eat. These addictions suppress this hormone.
They also muck around with your hormone ghrelin, so the hypothalamus does not receive a signal to stop eating, which leads to overeating.
You go through withdrawal when you stop eating sugar and synthetic ingredients.
When this addiction is broken, your body savors eating real foods; real food tastes better.
Your body celebrates because it receives all the nutrients it needs to build health. You cook to control what goes into your body.
With a health coach, you can do this one-on-one or join a group program for support. In the beginning, you will have cravings. It only takes three weeks to break the addiction. The result is food freedom.
Finally, you are sustainably playing to win.
Stop eating the Standard American Diet. If you keep eating it, you will get standard American diseases and die the standard American death. Other countries are eating our food products that are loaded with hidden sugars and chemicals, so you can die of this as well.
Instead, switch to the GLAD diet, the Green Living American Diet of organic fruits and vegetables. Once you feel your body all the phytonutrients it needs to be healthy and eat them consistently, you begin to find health, and you will begin to lose weight without dieting.
I am running quarterly sugar detoxes. They add support in a zoom group for 4 weeks. There is a private Facebook group for support. There are replays available of all of the modules. Join me, and WIN at health.
Contact me at Cherylmhealthmuse@gmail.com for information on the next detox.
Cheryl Meyer, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Cheryl Meyer suffered from autoimmune disease. By eliminating hundreds of toxins, she reversed her pain. Cheryl has a BA from UC-Berkeley and is a health coach from IIN. Cheryl is an award-winning author, international bestseller, health coach, speaker, local tv host, and guest podcaster. Cheryl has written four books on health and toxins available here. Her podcast is on Voice America. Cheryl specifically works with clients with chronic illness giving them hope and helping them find solutions. It is never too late to start healthy habits. Cheryl is available to speak about the toxins in our world that are making us ill. She is a sought-after expert on toxins, in our food, cleaning, water, minds, including toxic stress and toxic lack of sleep. She also talks about the impact of toxins on our children and our pet’s health. Contact Cheryl for one on one coaching or speaking at cherylmhealthmuse@gmail.com. Eliminating toxins is a crucial step to regain wellness.
