Food and Drug Administering

Food is a drug.  Plain and simple.  Most people choose what and when to eat based on what our brain wants instead of what our body needs.   I say most people because some people just don't have the choice of what they eat because of their economic situation.  But that's not the topic at hand today.

Have you even walked up to the fridge and opened it only to not find anything in there you want to eat?  And then did you do it again about 3 minutes later.  If you've done this, you aren't hungry.  You are looking for something to eat not because your body needs it but because your brain is saying it wants some dopamine.  So it's scanning, trying to find the thing that will get it it's hit.  Exercise also releases dopamine.   Creating something releases dopamine, listening to music you like also does and even checking of items from a to-do list.  But eating is easier.  Your brain is smart.  It wants the easiest option. It's the same reason you get on Facebook every so often.  Looking for the little notifications.  Those trigger a dopamine hit as well.  

Granted, these are all little hits of dopamine.  Nothing compared to drugs like cocaine or heroin.  But it is a drug used to help many of us get by.   We use food as the easiest option to manipulate how we feel.

I'm not saying this is necessarily a bad thing.  But it can become a bad habit.  The foods that many people go to for their mental health wreak havoc on your physical health.  And quite often it then becomes our physical health that wreaks havoc on our mental health and you go right back to the habit of food to help the mental health.  

It's a tough cycle to break.  I've been there about 4-5 times in my life.

Please don't think that I'm being critical of anyone trapped in this cycle.  I know how powerful our brains are.  But when we put chemicals into our bodies from the food we eat, it plays with our emotions and the signals we get from our brains.  

And even now, I know that my body doesn't need food.  But I like food.  So I eat food.  And then with the wondrousness of the food taste, comes the depression of eating when I didn't actually need to eat.

Over the past 8 or so months I've been following a ketogenic diet.  It's been fantastic.  I don't ever feel as though I'm depriving myself.  I've lost over 35 pounds and I actually have a visible 6 pack, which is cool. I just feel good overall.

However, like I said.  I still like food.  At least now the good news is that all the food I like is totally compatible with my diet.  So the physical side of eating when I'm not really hungry isn't a big deal.  But the mental side is.  

So what?  Why does Jon say that?  Why did he have to drop in that he's got a 6 pack?   Because I've never had one before!!!  And I'm pretty excited about it!

I'm going to continue this tomorrow and tell that even though the food I crave to isn't at odds with my body, I'm still not out of the woods on the food addiction part.