Why are food habit changes so difficult to sustain? Why is unhealthy food so addictive?
Oct 01, 2018
You came in to your new revamped diet with the best of intentions. Maybe your health provider really stressed how important it was to be successful this time. Maybe your weight has been creeping upwards, or your cardiovascular numbers weren’t good or your A1C was creeping upwards. Maybe you feel inflamed all of the time and your Rheumatoid Arthritis has been acting up. You understand intellectually the importance of making these changes. In fact, this time you vow to turn over a new leaf! You read all of the books and blogposts about your food plan. You really GET it, and yet… you have a strong start for a few days, weeks or even months and then your inspiration flags. Why is this so hard?
Many people have difficulty making these changes and maintaining them. In fact food habits are some of the more difficult things to change. As difficult as it is to quit smoking, drinking, other addictions…. and I acknowledge that these are VERY difficult addictions to break, in some ways (maybe not all) food issues are even MORE difficult because we HAVE to eat! We have to make choices about food at least 3 times per day. We simply cannot abstain or completely avoid situations where food may be available because our very life depends upon having a food supply and eating.
We need to make our food choices at least 3 times per day. That means that there are at least 3 opportunities to make good or not so good choices. We all know how this goes. When our logic is in control we make all the “right” choices, but it seems that our emotions also have their say in our choices too. Some of us find it easy to make the logical choice day after day. Other times the emotions and moods creep in and influence our decision-making ability. It is easier when life is going along just the way you like it to make the better choice, but add to the mix stress of any type – work, relationship, financial, sociopolitical, hormonal, time stress, organizational stress, intense hunger etc., monotony of diet combined with craving for certain foods not on the food plan, and decision-making logic goes out the window.
Often the real question becomes “how do I manage stress?” and “how can I make everything work even though I have these feelings and cravings?” Working through our food issues is often a journey. Deep self-inquiry, self-regulating techniques, organizational skills (the refrigerator is empty, I don’t have time to cook, shop etc), and a little understanding of brain chemistry - all of these things are super important.
As with any addiction, food affects mood. Certain foods such as carbohydrates and sugars temporarily increase the secretion of serotonin, which enhances feelings of well-being and relieves a depressed moods. The only problem is that later there is a crash and a huge drop in serotonin levels which leaves a person wanting more carbs. Have you ever stuck faithfully to your food plan for a few weeks and found that you did not even miss the carbs in your diet? Only to succumb later to a carb temptation and suddenly you REALLY want carbs again? This is a perfect example of how a food can influence insulin secretion as well as neurotransmitter balance. Logic has a very hard time overcoming these biochemical swings!
Another neurotransmitter that can be affected by nutrition and substances is Dopamine. Dopamine fuels the “reward” system in the brain. We are flooded with dopamine when we fall in love. Admit it, if you have ever been newly in love you have been under the influence of dopamine! When we have that “in love” feeling, we can even forget to eat! (Oxytocin is the neurotransmitter that is secreted later in the relationship, to enhance feelings of security and bonding). Increases in dopamine have you feeling really good and “on top of the world”. It is the “Reward Center” of the brain. We get tiny dopamine hits whenever we win a game, receive likes on your Facebook page, etc. Highly addictive substances flood the brain with dopamine so that the dopamine receptors are decreased in the brain in order for the brain to stay balanced. The problem is that things that normally and moderately increase dopamine levels no longer work so the person has a craving for the substance that gave them that initial high so that they can feel “good” again. They will eventually build up a tolerance and need more and more of the substance in order to have any slight sense of well-being at all. Thus the addiction is fueled.
Junk foods also increase dopamine levels in the brain. “Healthy foods” may release a tiny amount of dopamine and junk foods release high levels of dopamine. People eventually build up a tolerance to junk foods so that they need more and more, thus fueling the addiction.
The struggle is real. Withdrawal from certain foods is real. When dopamine levels are low people can feel sad and depressed. They remember what gave them the high earlier so that they reach for the junk food again.
When your health practitioner tells you that you need to change your diet, not only are you working with your logical brain, but you are also working with your neurotransmitters which may be screaming for dopamine and serotonin (which are temporarily increased by carbohydrates and junk food!)
The high levels of sugar, salt, and fat contained in junk food are never found in nature. We are wired to crave these foods since historic times when humans were hunter/gatherers and foods containing these things were extremely rare. Our bodies needs a smaller amount of sugar, fat, carbs and salt to flourish. They are energy dense and electrolyte balancing in the proper amounts which insures survival. Having some fat stores meant you were more likely to survive famine and be able to reproduce offspring. Our bodies are hardwired evolutionarily to want these things. Now that these foods sell and make huge profits for corporations while being cheap and plentiful to consume we have the opposite problem. Humans all over the globe are addicted to junk food and rapidly rising obesity and diabetes rates in every developing country the result.
Until your brain balances, you may need to practice self-regulating techniques to increase serotonin and dopamine levels such as meditation, breathing exercises, exercise, yoga. Anything that can get you into that state of rest and relaxation from where you can make conscious, calm decisions regarding food and preparing your next meal.
The only way to break a junk food addiction is to fully abstain. Like any addiction. The difficulty is you need to make this choice several times per day. There is no avoiding eating. Choosing healthy foods will keep your brain and body in balance. Every day, every meal, step by step.
Let every meal become an affirmation of vibrant health for yourself and your family.
