How to eliminate anxiety about food, in 8 steps

In the act of eating, although it may seem only a physical act, psychological variables also intervene. For this reason, in recent times there is some awareness of how the emotional state affects our diet and how it affects our emotional state.

In fact, as we explained in the article “Night Eating Syndrome: causes, symptoms and treatment of this eating disorder”, anxiety or depression can lead a person to experience a strong desire to eat. Now, anxiety about eating can have different causes: psychological, endocrine, contextual causes, etc.

In this article we will talk about anxiety about eating and what we can do to reduce it.

• Related article: “Psychology and Nutrition: the importance of emotional eating”

How to eliminate anxiety about eating

Reducing anxiety about eating is possible if different strategies are carried out that include mental, nutritional, lifestyle, etc. But what are these strategies? In the following lines we explain them to you.

1. 5 daily meals

Our habits play a very important role when it comes to developing anxiety about food, and for this reason

the times we eat and the number of times we eat per day It affects our level of hunger. If we have a more or less fixed schedule, we give the body a message when we are going to eat food.

eat 5 meals a day It is key for the body to be well nourished and there are less chances of snacking between meals. If we feel satiated, the anxiety to eat is reduced.

2. Remove from your sight those foods that you do not want to eat

Many times the anxiety to eat can arise because we have seen that chocolate bar in the fridge or those cookies in the kitchen cabinet. There are foods that are irresistible temptations, especially those high in fat and sugar.. In fact, food stimulates the same brain regions that drugs do, brain areas like associated with pleasure, so it is convenient to avoid certain stimuli that lead us to eat in a impulsive

Although this brain area related to pleasure helps us to repeat behaviors that are necessary for our survival, this biological strategy may not be entirely appropriate when food is not of quality. The reinforcement area, which is the brain region involved in this process, is located in the Ventral Tegmental Area.

• Related article: “Ventral Tegmental Area: Anatomy, Functions, and Disorders”

3. eat complex carbohydrates

Our diet can make us more or less hungry during the day. An example of this is when we eat industrial pastries and foods that cause hyperglycemia. With this type of food we may feel satiated at the moment, but after a short time we feel a great anxiety to eat because the drop in sugar causes a compulsive eating effect called "carved". The best alternative to avoid this is to eat foods with complex carbohydrates., for example, brown rice, which keep blood sugar at bay and keep us full for longer.

• Related article: “The 16 most satiating and ideal foods to lose weight”

4. Do physical exercise

Food anxiety can also appear when we do not have healthy habits that allow us to be disciplined. Therefore, practicing physical exercise and eating healthy foods keeps us in line and helps us in our general well-being. Positive self-esteem, which increases if we play sports but if we are not obsessed with sports training, also affects our mood. This also has an impact when it comes to not feeling anxiety about food.

5. Practice mindful eating

Mindfulness is an ancient practice that has its origin in Buddhist wisdom, and that allows a person to live in the present moment, in connection with himself and that helps to adopt a mentality of self pity.

Mindfulness can also be related to food, what is known as conscious eating. This practice allows a change towards a healthy life, towards the encounter with our own body and we eat, which provides greater enjoyment of food, greater health and reduces anxiety about eat.

6. Be aware of what you eat and find out

But not only can you become aware of what you eat with Mindfulness eating, but you can also learn about nutrition in general, something that will provide you with knowledge and help you choose those foods that will make you feel better. Eating foods low in sugar, high in fiber, or high in protein They are options that will allow us to reduce anxiety about eating. Your body will surely appreciate it, and your mind too.

7. Don't obsess over calories

It's okay to keep a rough calorie count, but assume it's normal to go overboard. limit that you have set for yourself and that, even if in a week you have managed to maintain a very healthy diet, you should treat yourself in the form of food that you like a lot regardless of what makes you fat; This will serve as a reward to motivate you and will also help you relieve tension, which will prevent you from ending up binging out of pure frustration and suffering more anxiety for it.

8. Go to the psychologist

Many of the habits we have can affect our well-being, and the same thing can happen when eating. Sometimes it is not easy to change some behaviors and some people may suffer emotional problems or disorders that cause anxiety about eating. We have already talked about the Night Eating Syndrome at the beginning of this article, but there are other disorders, for example, the Binge eating disorder, which are also related to anxiety.

On the other hand, many studies suggest that depression can lead a person to eat large amounts of food. For this reason, it may be that behind the anxiety to eat there is a psychological problem that must be treated by a specialist, and psychologists can do an excellent job in this regard.

eating psychology

A current that is having more and more acceptance and in which the work of the psychologist is extremely important is the Psychology of food. And it is that our mind and our body are closely related, and that is why food anxiety can be understood from this discipline.

The psychology of eating covers topics as interesting as: What foods affect our mood? o How is managing emotions decisive when following a diet plan?

• If you want to know more about this area, you can read the article: “Eating psychology: definition and applications”