By Julie Brealy,

Food addiction is an action wherein you can’t stop yourself from eating too much food and you do it repeatedly not realizing the harmful effects it will cause your health. Everyone is craving for food. But for the food addicts, when they aren’t able to eat, they start craving for food. They become physically and emotionally distressed as the cravings go on, until eating is the most distinguished thing for them to do. They are craving for something to eat with no real reason, but to just eat. It may be due to boredom, or they seem something suggestive of food.

Food addiction is detrimental instead of enhancing the life of an individual. It threatens the health of the person, causing malnutrition, obesity and other problems. At the same time, it is persistent. Since food addicts eat too much food, they often eat wrong kinds of food most of the times. A normal person overeats on occasion but a food addict overeats every day. It becomes a part of their daily routine.

The mere reasons why a person has this kind of addiction is: hurt depression, despair, anxiety, fear, hate, and shame. Since food addiction provides an escape to painful feelings, it is an individual’s principle way of coping with the painful feelings that they have.

To determine food addiction, an individual needs to ask themselves these following questions:

• Do you always look for food and eat even if you’re not hungry?
• Do you eat when you feel depressed?
• Do you eat too much even those foods that are harmful to your health?
• Do you eat too much and vomit after taking your meal?
• Do you feel guilty after eating?

If an individual’s answer to these questions is “YES”, then, that person is most likely a food addict.
But, the big question here is how can a food addict break his food addiction?

Here are the following steps on getting rid of food addiction:

Voluntary Maturity
A person needs emotional growth. Start the change from yourself. Other people will not be able to help you if you are not willing to help yourself.

Spiritual Growth
Try attending seminars and retreat. It will help you focus on other things rather than wasting your time from too much eating. It will also help take away the painful feeling that you have which is causing your food addiction.

Going back to the “PAST”
Go back to your past and deal with your unresolved issues. Talk to the person who is very dear to you and who will listen to the grudges you have in your heart. It will not get rid of your addiction but it will help. Keep in mind that when another human being listens to you, doesn’t judge you and loves you, you felt better.

This is your “NOW”
Everything is not just about you past. So, deal with your present. This is your “NOW”. Think positive, there’s a better life waiting for you. Through this you will change.

Practical Approach
Do some physical exercises and the thing is that will make you physically fit and healthy. Focus on the things that you love to do. Every baby step you take, you will feel good about yourself. It will result to self respect.

Walk towards you “FREEDOM” now
For a very long time, you were imprisoned by food addiction. You have been locked. You’re desperate and been deceived by your addiction. But the thing is you’re not really a prisoner. It is all in your mind. You have been unconscious and become used of it. But, there is something in yourself that urged you to change and helped you overcome food addiction. You made it. Continue to value yourself more because you deserve to be free.

About the Author

Julie Brealy is the health manager at FitFarms, No. 1 UK Weight Loss Camp and Fitness Boot Camp. She has been working for over 10 years in the weight loss industry advising companies in the US and the UK. Julie is also an experienced deep tissue massage therapist.

Can you stay healthy during road trips? Let’s face it. It is very alluring to stop in gas stations and grab some packs of chips or sandwiches, right? In fact, these stopovers are great way to take a break from long hours of driving and sitting.

If you are one of those who enjoy road trips or simply compelled to go for long drive, it is recommended to read the article of Marisa Cohen entitled “Road trip! Eat healthy – anywhere”. The article highlights the common options we choose during road trips which oftentimes sabotage our healthy diet and it offers suggestions on how to stay track on your diet.

Read “Road trip! Eat healthy – anywhere” from CNN.com Health to learn more about healthier meals and snacks options when planning for long drives.

Fitness Editorial Credits to Marisa Cohen, Health.com.

There is a very interesting article written by Roni Caryn Rabin in New York Times entitled “Regimens: Eat Your Vegetables, but Not Too Many”.

Oftentimes in our desperate intention to live a healthy lifestyle, we likely to overdo it but we must understand the doing extremes are not really good at all in our body. Moderation is the key to a long term healthy way of life.

Diet and exercise must be done in moderation otherwise it will create a harmful effect to our body.

Read the full article “Regimens: Eat Your Vegetables, but Not Too Many” from NYTimes.com Health / Research

Are you guilty of binge eating? Perhaps at some point in our struggle to lose weight, we binge out on our favorite high calorie and rich fat foods. The issue kicks in when it becomes a recurring problem. The article of Madison Park in CNN Health entitled “Self-help treatment effective for binge eating, researchers say” indicates that it can be effectively resolved with the help of a self-guide book and sessions with health therapist or coach.

It is indeed an interesting approach to stop binge eating behavior. It is effective though not commonly apply because such treatment requires a specialized field of therapy.

If you are keen to read more about the “Self-help treatment effective for binge eating, researchers say”, click it here.

There is an interesting feature in Health.com entitled “How to Grocery Shop on a Diet”. It is oftentimes a struggle to choose the right healthy food to stuff your fridge especially when one is on a diet. Fortunately this issue has been addressed in the article while it gives recommendations on how to shop smartly to keep on track with your diet.

It tackles the basic items you shop at the grocery store such as meat, dairy products, vegetables and fruits and grains. If you are on a diet, this information is really essential because these are the basic ingredients you use to prepare your meals. Read more…

Have you been eating healthy foods and still not losing weight? Then check your food portion. Perhaps you ordered grilled meat yesterday for your lunch but the portion was doubled than your ideal portion to help you lose weight.

The article of Phillip Rhodes entitled “Why Portion Control Matters” will enlighten you as why it is important to be mindful of the portion served in your plate. Also, Rhodes outlines an interesting explanation as why people generally overeat. It is always a battle between your rational mind and impulsive emotion.

It is also fascinating to know how your subconscious reacts on certain situations. According to study, people are more likely to order the “Triple-Chocolate Black Forest Volcano Cake” than for  a cake which is simply labeled as “chocolate cake”. Do you realize how many times you ordered because the description of the menu is just to appealing to your taste palate?

Let’s face it. Our conscious effort to live a healthy lifestyle is oftentimes sabotage because we are bombarded with striking marketing strategy about foods. Hence, there is always a battle between keeping your weight loss goal and caving in to the alluring ads of delicious rich fat foods.

Indeed people need to be mindful in their portion size when eating because it really matters to your goal to lose weight.

Read the full article ‘’Why Portion Control Matters’ from CNN.com - Health.

Fitness Editorial Credits to Phillip Rhodes, CookingLight.com.

We are all aware that carbohydrates play a vital role in our body. It provides our body the necessary energy hence if we are involved in strenuous physical activity, it is important to cautiously review our carb intake.

The article in CNN health entitled “Replenish your energy with the right carbohydrates” outlines the list of best source of carbs which contain the valuable nutrients such as vitamins and proteins. One of it is the energy shake that is comprised of yoghurt and fruits. The article referred it as a winning combination because yoghurt boosts the protein and calcium content while the fruits add natural sweetness and vitamin C. It is an ideal drink for tired and sore muscles.

Other options include whole grain oats, rice noodles and mixed grain salads.

We are oftentimes misled that carbs can make us fat. However, choosing the right source of carbs which are packed with nutrients can boost our energy level. Indeed reading the article ‘Replenish your energy with the right carbohydrates’ is enlightening. It gives us a deeper understanding about the right carbs to ensure that we stay fit and healthy.

Read the full article, ‘Replenish your energy with the right carbohydrates‘ from CNN.com - Health.

Michael Pollan has written a reflective and thought-provoking article about food that is entitled ‘Rules to Eat By’. It seems buying foodstuff nowadays becomes a complicated task if you are conscious with your health.

Have you tried buying groceries and ended up confused? It is the same item but different brands with different nutrition facts. You only want to buy a box of milk but your option ranges from non-fat milk, low-fat milk, and so on. Eventually you will pick each brand of low-fat milk, read its nutrition fact and evaluate which one is superior?

It is indeed quite a common scenario for us, right? But Michael Pollan raises an insightful question as how did humans manage to choose food and stay healthy and fit before? It is true. We have all the experts nowadays that can guide us through in choosing the right and proper foods which deem to be good for our health. Nonetheless, in this era we struggle to keep ourselves healthy and fit.

So does the nutrition fact in your sandwich spread still affect you? Michael Pollan’s article reminds us that we should be smart in our food choices as we cannot entirely rely on the nutritional facts that we read in the food labels.

You can read the full article from NYTimes.com - The Food Issue ‘Rules to Eat By‘

by: Emma Arsanti

We know how important breakfast is for a good start to the day but healthy breakfast foods are a great way to get started each day on the right food so you don’t have to keep eating sugar and fat to keep yourself feeling awake.

After an 8 hour sleep you have likely gone without eating for 8 - 14 hours. This means that your body and brain are running on empty in the morning.

People also should know the importance of breakfast and how it helps in losing weight in a healthier way.

About Healthy Breakfast Foods

Healthy breakfast foods are generally low in calories, low in fat and are filling because of high fiber and/or protein. . When it comes to eating smarter to lose weight you do not always have to go to extremes in changing your diet. If you are thinking about devising a healthy weight loss plan of action, think breakfast!

Read more…