Most of us have indulged in “just one more bite”, “just a small second serving” at some point or the other. This is called binge eating.
Why do people binge eat?
It’s because to a lot of us food is a treat. A pleasure. For some, it’s an escape or comfort. Whether it’s the childhood memory of our mother’s cooking or our favourite dish from our first date, all of us have emotional attachments to food. In fact, if you started listing down the reasons why you eat, you’ll be able to see that most of these reasons are emotional.
Many people even binge eat unknowingly. A lot of these people think feeling full is equivalent to good nutrition and tend to indulge in overeating due to this.
How do you know if you binge eat?
There are only three healthful reasons to eat-
1. To nourish the body when you are truly hungry
2. To replenish the body after intense exercise or workout
3. Hydrate the body when it needs water
Eating for reasons other than these is an unhealthy habit and leads to binge eating. It can harm the body. The degree of harm caused depends on personal lifestyle and diet choices among other things.
What happens to your body when you binge eat?
The obvious effect of binge eating is unhealthy weight gain. This leads to the ingestion of unnecessary and unhealthy fats and carbohydrates. Excessive fats and carbs also lead to health problems such as high cholesterol and heart conditions. But binge eating causes other problems too.
The human body is a complex organism with multiple organs and functions. These organs work in synergy to maintain the natural bodily balance. The gut and digestive system is an essential part of this system.
When you indulge in binge eating, you disturb this bodily balance. When the stomach and bowels are burdened with excessive food, they are constantly overworked. This is because, by the time your body is able to digest a larger portion, you’re ready to eat your next meal. This unhealthy strain on the stomach and bowels causes them to weaken.
An overworked, the bowels may not be able to digest food completely, resulting in fewer nutrients being absorbed and it also increases the amount of toxic waste in the body. These wastes cause further inflammation in the bowels. This leads to serious diseases such as gastritis, Crohn’s, or Ulcerative Colitis.
How to Control Binge Eating?
Self-awareness is the best way to control binge eating or overeating. It is essential to observe your food cravings, appetite, and what you think or feel when you eat. Recognizing your patterns can improve your ability to make healthy decisions.
An important factor of self-awareness with respect to binge eating is understanding your emotional states. Also, monitor your emotional body awareness throughout the day. Understand your emotions and try to identify the energies in your body.
When you understand yourself, your emotions, and your hunger. You will be able to better understand your body’s needs better. Identify true hunger and only eat when your body needs it.
Binge eating and overeating may seem less harmful and most think they result in obesity. However, binge eating can affect the body in numerous ways and tends to cause damage to the digestive tract.
Follow high carb health to better understand your eating habits and nutritive needs!
