using food for comfort

Using Food For Comfort – Where Does It Start?

If you’re using food for comfort I wonder if it’s ever occurred to you that you’ve been trained into it.

A great friend told me about a moment of realisation she had with her toddler. He’d fallen down and hurt his knee. His reaction was to ask to food, and she suddenly thought “OMG, I’m training him to be an emotional eater!”

Since then I see it everywhere. Kids are given food to keep them quiet while at the doctor’s surgery, or promised food afterwards if they’re “good for the doctor”.

As kids we were given food to sooth the physical pain after hurting ourselves. To relieve the boredom of being somewhere boring or horrible, like the back of the car on a long journey. And as a reward for being good – maybe the treat of a pudding if we ate all the awful vegetables.

Using Food For Comfort

There are very few of us who are not using food for comfort in our adult lives in some way.

Some people have switched from soothing physical hurts to soothing emotional hurts, many more use food to relive boredom or as a reward.

I’ve little doubt that this has been going on for generations. But it’s different today because of the environment we live. There is no longer a shortage of food for the majority in the West, it’s available 24/7.

The other massive problem is the type of ‘food’ available. Refined carbs and sugar aren’t normal things for a human beings to eat, which is why they cause so many problems – addiction being very much one of them.

The vast majority of us are using food for comfort in an environment that supports obesity. Is it any wonder so many people struggle with their weight when the perfect recipe has been cooked up to create problems.

The way to overcome your ‘training’ and be slim in the ‘fat environment’ in which we live is to develop your protection against it. Your slim mind-set. Anyone can do this, you just have to take the first step – decide you’re going to change (and stop kidding yourself a diet is your answer).

Take a peek inside

 

If you don’t know how to change but would like to, you may like to read my book.

Have a fantastic week.

Dr Julie

PS You can get a bit more about emotional eating by clicking here

 

 

2 thoughts on “Using Food For Comfort – Where Does It Start?”

  1. I have just being diagnosed with high cholesterol I eat low fat foods already. I don’t really want to go on to statins what is the alternative.

    1. Dr. Julie Coffey

      Hi Meg. Apologies for the unusually last reply from me.
      Go to the bottom of any page to ‘tags’. Click on the cholesterol one and you’ll get some pointers.

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