Would you consider yourself a food addict? Do you find yourself trying to abstain from certain foods so you don't "lose control?" Are you unsure if food addiction is the right way to describe what you're experiencing? Listen now for some expertise on the latest research and find out more about the truth behind the food addiction model.

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Episode's Key Points:

• Holidays like Easter and Passover can bring foods out of the woodwork that we don't usually eat! (Think: chocolate bunnies, Peeps, jelly beans.) When these foods resurface, because we haven't learned to make them "neutral" yet, it can feel like we're addicted to them when they're finally around.
• Our bodies don't need to rely on dieting to find health. In fact, dieting HURTS us, and it can lead to bingeing and an OCD experience with food.
• Eating is just like peeing!!! When you gotta go, you gotta go, and how much or how little you pee doesn't matter. But with hunger, there is so much JUDGMENT attached to it. So what if we took that judgment away? What if we treated eating just like peeing? They're both bodily functions that do just fine on their own without outward policing. So stop judging when you're hungry, or how much or how little you need to eat to feel satisfied! Eating is like peeing.
• Marci Evans joins to talk about her expert knowledge on food addiction research!
• Food doesn't need to have so much power!!
• You are NOT alone... your pain is individual, but your experiences with food are so common.
• What are the first steps to making peace with food when dealing with these problems??
  • Compassion!
  • Challenging food addiction in and of itself
• The food addiction model is problematic and has many limitations!
  • The term "food addiction" is very poorly defined in the research community.
  • Most 0f the research has been done on animals, not humans, and the research that has been done on humans has had a LOT of mixed results.
  • It fails to consider alternatives to the biological response to food that mimics drug use, such as pavlovian conditioning, the fact that food is meant to be rewarding, or the impact of restraint, restriction, or previous dieting on our pleasure reactions.
• Food is meant to be rewarding!!
• The pattern of restriction and restraint that then swings to bingeing can lead someone to think they're addicted to food... but that might not be the case! Bingeing is often a reaction to deprivation!!
• Current food addiction research does NOT account for restraint, restriction, or dieting history.
• Our natural biology REBELS against restraint!!
• So how do we move beyond the food addiction model?
  • Remember you are not alone!
  • Consider what "healthy" means to you, and make sure it's BALANCED and SATISFYING.
  • Use resources to support your journey.
  • Notice what's happening in your body instead of what's happening in your brain.
• Once we take the judgment away, we can really listen to what our body actually needs.
• Our body craves balance!!
• Remember, healthy eating includes satiety and pleasure! If you deny these parts of eating, you won't find a peaceful relationship with food.

Show Notes:

• Link to subscribe to the weekly FREE Food Peace Newsletter. It is sent out every Tuesday morning and no spam EVER. By signing up, I will also send you Love Food's Season 1's Food Peace Syllabus.
• Love, Food Podcast Episode 53
• Love, Food Podcast Episode 6 with Marci Evans
• Start your private practice! Click here and use code BOSS to get 10% off Jennifer McGurk's Pursuing Private Practice Masterclass!!
• Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch ---> This week's Food Peace Syllabus addition #1
• Eat What You Love and Love What You Eat by Michelle May ---> This week's Food Peace Syllabus addition #2
• Starting Monday by Karen Koenig ---> This week's Food Peace Syllabus addition #3
• Find Marci on Twitter!
• Eating Disorder Dietitian
• Julie Dillon RD blog

Do you have a complicated relationship with food? I want to help! Send your Dear Food letter to [email protected]. 

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