{"id":16,"date":"2019-08-27T16:23:30","date_gmt":"2019-08-27T15:23:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fionamacbeth.co.uk\/?p=16"},"modified":"2019-09-28T09:17:37","modified_gmt":"2019-09-28T08:17:37","slug":"our-relationship-with-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fionamacbeth.co.uk\/our-relationship-with-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Our relationship with food"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s known as comfort eating, but it rarely brings comfort for the eater. So why do we give it such an cosy name, and why do so many people misuse food, either binging or denying themselves nutrition on a regular basis? Put simply, it is a way people try to manage when they feel life is too difficult, <\/strong>and they can\u2019t cope with the way they feel. This might be because they have low self-esteem, or don\u2019t feel very good about themselves, or have difficulties dealing with or expressing emotions. \u00a0It can come from early experience in childhood with inconsistent or inadequate caregivers. Or it might be from a traumatic incident in the past. But whatever the cause, it means we begin to express our emotions through how we behave with food. The problems arise when these strategies, which can initially appear to help, are used to excess, and start to have a negative impact on our psychological and\/or physical wellbeing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s all a matter of degree<\/em><\/h4>\n

It\u2019s important to understand that eating issues are not like a physical ailment where you either have a cold or not. Our relationship with food is much more complex, and many people overeat or restrict when they are stressed or feeling overwhelmed. It\u2019s a way of expressing we are finding things difficult when we don\u2019t know how else to communicate it. And, to a certain extent, it works because initially it might soothe us and make us feel temporarily in control. Also other people may start to notice, and show concern. But if the odd biscuit turns into several packets when faced with a crisis, and then we hide the wrappings, there may be something more going on. Likewise if the dieting which was supposed to make you feel more confident means you struggle to socialise at all, it is having a negative effect. So the concern is not so much occasional use of the strategies, but the degree to which they are used.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the only coping strategy that people use and misuse, there is alcohol, shopping, gambling, porn, exercise and a whole range of other \u201cgo to\u201d activities. But we can live without most of those things, we have to eat to live. So people that have an unhealthy relationship with food have a daily, if not minute by minute, battle.<\/p>\n

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Photo by John Lambeth on Pexels.com<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

What do we mean by Eating Disorders?<\/em><\/h4>\n

There are different kinds of eating disorders and, although anorexia is not the most common, it is probably the best known. It is where the sufferer restricts their intake of food, sometimes to the point of starvation. The anorexic has developed unrealistic beliefs about how improved their life would be if they lost weight, or how bad their life would be if they put weight on. This can be accompanied by genuinely seeing themselves as fat, when they are not, or body dysmorphia. So controlling, or restricting, their food intake becomes paramount, and a way of regulating the emotions which they can\u2019t deal with.\u00a0 However, any initial positive feelings from losing weight are quickly followed by a terrible fear of losing that control.<\/p>\n

The other type of eating disorder which affects a lot more people, and the numbers are rising, is binge eating and bulimia. This is less about control and more about voluntarily losing control. Sometimes these sufferers have a really healthy diet most of the time, but if they are emotionally overwhelmed, by loss, sadness or a feeling of being abandoned, they will overeat, and usually it\u2019s \u201cjunk food.\u201d Food cupboards can be emptied in less than an hour. Food can be consumed out of the bin, and it seems like all self-control has gone. I once asked a client what was going on for them when they were binging and they said it was like they needed to fill \u201c a black hole of need.\u201d<\/p>\n

This behaviour is complicated by the fact that it takes about 40 minutes for the body to process food and tell the brain we are full. So the binger keeps eating until they get this signal which usually an overwhelming sense of disgust, guilt and self-loathing. In the case of a bulimic this can lead to forced vomiting, or the excessive taking of laxatives. And for most it leads to a determination to abstain from food for as long as possible. This might make sense psychologically but physically this behaviour takes a heavy toll. The binging leads to a \u201cspike\u201d in energy where the body gets too much sugar and can become hyperglycaemic, then the vomiting or abstaining from food leads to semi-starvation and really low blood sugar level, where the craving for food is intense. Not surprising another binge usually follows.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Working towards a diagnosis<\/em><\/h4>\n

With all these different behaviours, and degrees of severity, diagnosing an eating disorder can be very difficult. To try and overcome this some NHS treatment centres use a questionnaire devised by researchers at St George\u2019s Medical School. Here are the questions they came up with:<\/p>\n