We all have them. They are the little voices that play repeatedly in our heads. Most of us have this type of chatter in our minds to varying degrees. But if it keeps repeating “pizza, cake, ice cream, candy, chips, one more bite, one more glass of wine, just one more cookie”…..and then, when it doesn’t get what it wants, the voice becomes louder, more compulsive….. shouting “I want a treat, I want a treat,” an inner monologue of noise that drowns out all common sense…..we need to stop and ask “what on earth is going on?”
This inner saboteur is initially emotional but if we reach for junk food, this internal disruptor is now being manipulated by brain science. Chemicals, textures and flavors are added to our processed foods so that the craving brain can’t calm down.
The 21st century man-made food system has invested billions into brain chemistry and studies to understand our reactions to food when we feel lost, alone, abandoned or even bored, and how we use certain foods to satisfy our deep core feelings.
THE PSYCHOBIOLOGY OF JUNK FOOD
There is a range of factors that scientists and food manufacturers use to make junk food more addictive, to keep the inner saboteur on the rampage. It consists of a perfect combination of salt, sugar and fat that excites the brain into a frenzy so that you keep coming back for more. Here are two examples of how sneaky the whole thing is.
Flavor Science now knows that foods that rapidly vanish, or “melt in your mouth,” signal to the brain that you’re not eating as much as you really are. A perfect example is ‘Cheetos’. The puff’s uncanny ability to melt in your mouth delights the pleasure centers and signals that you’re not full. Eat just one more and one more till the bag is empty……
Foods that have crunch signal to the brain that you are having an interesting taste experience. The brain loves the feeling of a taste experience. As you space-out watching TV you might consume a whole large bag of chips with creamy melt in your mouth dip, while you chomp and crunch away…….
Foods companies are spending billions of dollars to ‘design’ foods with these addictive sensations and tastes. And every year they learn more and get better at it. What they’re not counting on is us getting educated, hip to the game….
GOOD NEWS
The good news is research shows that the less Junk Food we eat, the less we crave it! Our first step to freedom is to become 100% empowered. Learn as much as possible about your own inner saboteurs so that you can block them before they take over…..the more you know about yours, the easier it is to recognize their patterns and identities. Below are some suggestions for saboteur recognition.
CREATE IDENTITIES FOR YOUR SABOTEURS AND LOOK FOR PATTERNS
What do your saboteurs look like? Do they have names? The more you know, the easier they are to recognize and manage.
In my pre-cancer past, my own saboteurs all had nameless faces. Several of them stood about one inch tall, elf size, bratty hooligans, on my left shoulder, whispering in my ear. They’d start in the afternoon, around 4 pm, mostly in winter when I was often in the house all day…..and I’m feeling fragile. By 6 the hooligans were no longer chattering, but a chorus of voices that dominated my headspace, full disco, begging me to cave. They’d want a shopping list of foods that could do me in. Exhausted, I would begin to question everything I knew to be true and give in….
But when I would remember these rap cycles are just my willful inner saboteurs and I could begin to plan ahead.
I switched my morning walk to late afternoon. This practice can seem like a hassle after a long day. But once I’m dressed and out the door, the fresh air and movement reset my brain. By the time I returned home I’d feel reorganized….stronger, ready to make my favorite blender drink, maybe eat a salad or have a warm bowl of miso soup and prepare to close down for the day…..
SELF REFLECTION
Twenty years ago, after so many years of abusing my body with unhealthy foods for most of my adult life, I was faced with cancer. My wake-up call would demand that I ask profound questions. I would need to ask myself how I had gotten into such bad shape in the first place. During my healing journey I discovered that I couldn’t keep eating the same foods that were doing me harm. The same foods that let me down again and again. I would have to open wide to change…..
On my healing journey something wildly unexpected happened to me. While detoxing with plant-based living-foods to heal myself from cancer, I also cured my food cravings and my lifelong obsession with doing myself harm. The harmful hooligans just became quiet. I hadn’t expected that. It was an added gift. But as I learned later, it wasn’t magic; it was science.
When you deny the brain addictive foods and instead feed yourself a small truck-farm load of veggies and fruit, day in and day out, the pleasure centers stop pumping in party mode. The whole process is a re-training of the brain.
WHAT I NOW KNOW TO BE TRUE
The Divine, as the ultimate crafty Creator, made us a perfect match for only one planet in the solar system: Earth. The air we breath has the exact amount of oxygen. The Sun is just the right distance away to warm us. Our planet has just the right amount of gravity to keep us grounded. A green world with food that is the exact match for our body’s needs. This is the ultimate place for possible peace and wellness….. nutrient for nutrient, a garden of Eden, if we don’t tamper with it. I am going to repeat, “if we don’t tamper with it.” We surrender to it….
If we want to reap the glorious benefits offered to us we will have to spend more time in the organic fruits and vegetables section of our health food markets. Not the processed, bottled and boxed food section. There will be no new wonders there.