By Judy Davie
**”I have recently moved into a new house and away from family for the first time. While I have always had a sweet tooth, I feel that I am losing control. I cannot eat just one biscuit or scoop of ice-cream. I have to finish it all. I feel that my cravings just get stronger and I am losing control. I have a history of binge eating and I don’t want to go down that track again. Are there any diet suggestions for what I can do to get these cravings under control again?”
— Kat**
Most of us as children grew up with sweet foods offered as a reward or a treat for doing something well. Whatever the reason, maybe we ate all the vegetables on our plate or behaved when a parent took us shopping, our association with sweet foods as a consequence is a feel-good experience. Taking that on into adult life it’s very common to seek comfort in sweet foods when we’re feeling a little sad, lonely or anxious to help us feel better.
While it’s very important you analyse why you have these cravings, the easiest and most obvious place to start is by clearing the house of ice-cream and biscuits. If they’re not there, you can’t eat them.
Being away from your family for the first time might be the reason you’re finding comfort in sweet foods. Perhaps you’re feeling a little vulnerable and scared without the safety of a family whose love for you is guaranteed. It’s very challenging starting out on your own in the world but hugely rewarding in the long run. It will get easier and, provided you make the effort to get out there and meet people, it will also be a lot of fun. It’s the time of life where you learn who you are and what you want without being influenced by anyone else’s opinion. In time you’ll learn that it was this time that helped you become truly comfortable with your own unique self.
There’s no magic trick to this other than having the faith that it will all get better. Practical steps to take include:
Find something to do during the times you are most vulnerable and likely to comfort eat. Things like going for a run, attending a yoga class, taking yourself to the movies, phoning a friend or restoring a piece of furniture are a few things that spring to mind.
Make it your mission to find some friends near you; introduce yourself to the neighbours, maybe ask them to have dinner with you one night. Be bold. One thing you’ll come to recognise in life is that everyone is fighting their own personal issues and as long as you extend a hand of friendship — even if they don’t all want to accept it — they can only be grateful that you tried.
When you feel your life is under control, the cravings will be too — work out what you need to do to feel happier and put a plan in place to make it happen. We’re all entitled to be happy. You are too.
Finally, back onto the subject of food, it’s very important that you make the time to prepare a well-balanced meal for yourself with a serve of protein, carbohydrate, lots of veggies and a little fat. You should be putting down your knife and fork at the end of each meal feeling satisfied and content. If not there’s a great temptation to find satisfaction from eating something else. Take some time in the week to plan your meals and shop for the ingredients. Use the Internet to find recipes or buy yourself a nice cookbook for ideas. And, if you have to end the meal with something sweet, try stewing some plums with apples, adding a few sultanas and having it with natural low fat yoghurt and a mug of herbal tea.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
