From food addiction to food serenity: Becoming a healthier you
Are you a food addict?
Do you have a tortured relationship with food because you either over-eat or undereat? Do you eat junk food for comfort only to feel terrible about it afterwards?
Just over 5 percent of the population suffer from food addiction. It is estimated that as many as 40 percent of the overweight and obese struggle with an addiction to food.
Vera Tarman, MD, FCFP, MSc. ABAM is an addictions medical specialist. She is the medical director of Renascent, Canada’s largest rehabilitation center for substance abuse. She has her American Board of Addiction Medicine specialization. She h...
View Full ProfileHow to stop emotional eating and deal with your negative emotions
Emotions are part of everyone’s life. The world tends to label them as being “good” or “bad.” Good emotions are feelings such as happiness, joy or delight, while bad emotions are those such as sadness, loneliness, shame, fear or anger.
Dr. Kim Dennis is a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in eating disorder treatment, addictions recovery, trauma / PTSD and co-occurring disorders. As CEO & Medical Director at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center, she superv...
View Full ProfileRecent ArticlesQuit obsessing about food and empower yourself with positive behavoir
Obsessing about food, physical appearance and body weight often leads people to a sense of desperation, despair, and a feeling of being out of control. Instead of enjoying life, many people spend their time worrying about their body size, fighting with themselves as they eat or don’t eat certain foods, and engaging in enormous amounts of self judgments. One diet after another is tried, and as failure is almost inevitable with dieting, the result is often more self blame, and at times even self hatred.
Marilyn Bradford, LCSW, CFMW, and MEd., is a therapist, teacher, and speaker who gives lectures and workshops about addiction worldwide. She has worked in the field of addiction orders of all kinds for over 20 years. Finding traditional trea...
View Full ProfileOvereating can be genetic: Learn to overcome the urge to overeat
Many who struggle with overeating believe they are victims of fate.
“It’s in my genes. My mother, my sister, and my grandmother all struggle with appetite and weight problems. I don’t have a chance.”
Genes are the body’s blueprints, providing detailed instructions that create both body and mind. They determine the form and function of each cell in the body, making you who you are. They are passed on from one generation to the next, but in each new birth they combine in a unique way.
James M. Greenblatt, M.D., is the Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Services at Walden Behavioral Care in Waltham, Mass., one of the country’s leading hospitals for treating eating disorders. His three published books, Answe...
View Full ProfileRecent ArticlesFood and sugar addiction: Why you can’t stop eating
If you think “addiction” is too strong a word to apply to food, you might find the research studies in rats to be enlightening.
Scientists often use rats in their research because rats’ brains react to addictive substances in much the same way that human brains do. Studying rats has yielded an astonishing wealth of insight about appetite, particularly on the effects of rats’ sugar consumption on levels of dopamine in pleasure centers of the brain.
James M. Greenblatt, M.D., is the Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Services at Walden Behavioral Care in Waltham, Mass., one of the country’s leading hospitals for treating eating disorders. His three published books, Answe...
View Full ProfileRecent ArticlesHow athletes can beat anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders
Eating disorders are an epidemic in the United States today. One population increasingly at risk for developing anorexia or bulimia is athletes. Athletes are far more prone to eating disorders than non-athletes—especially for females—but it has been a growing concern for males, too.
Dr. Kim Dennis is a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in eating disorder treatment, addictions recovery, trauma / PTSD and co-occurring disorders. As CEO & Medical Director at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center, she superv...
View Full ProfileRecent ArticlesHow to end emotional eating once and for all
If you’re an emotional eater, you probably recognize your tendency to drift toward food when you’re stressed or distressed, which serves neither your appetite, weight, nor ability to take care of yourself emotionally. The first step is to understand that we have emotions for a reason—really, they’re not just there to plague us. Emotions evolved to help us move away from pain and toward pleasure. Like our senses, they’re there to guide us through life, to help us stay alive and thrive.
Based in Sarasota, Florida, Karen is a worldwide eating coach, blogger, educator, and psychotherapist specializing in overcoming overeating and emotional eating. She teaches the non-diet/non-deprivation approach to finding a comfortable, sustain...
View Full ProfileRecent ArticlesAthletes are more susceptible to eating disorders: Get help now
You would think that professional athletes, who need to be in near-perfect shape to compete, would be the last people to have an eating disorder.
Yet athletes – both men and women – may be two to three times more likely to have an eating disorder than the average person, according to a 1999 study of college athletes by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. A 2004 study of top athletes in Norway reached a similar conclusion, finding that 13.5% of athletes surveyed had an eating disorder, compared with 4.6% of the control group.
Stuart Koman, Ph.D. is a founder and the Chief Executive of Walden Behavioral Care and its non-profit sister corporation, the Walden Center for Research and Education. Dr. Koman is a veteran health care manager with more than 30 years of experie...
View Full ProfileRecent ArticlesMidnight snacking out of control? It's called night eating syndrome
Is grabbing a midnight snack really such a big deal? For many, occasionally giving in to a late night craving for chocolate or some leftovers costs them no more than an extra 10 minutes on the treadmill and a little bit of guilt. But for others, midnight snacking is a nightly ritual that goes far beyond simple cravings and minor bouts of guilt.
Michelle Cleary is a licensed clinical social worker who has garnered extensive experience in private and public settings for over 14 years. In addition to working closely with trauma victims and those struggling with eating disorders she works ...
View Full ProfileRecent ArticlesExpert advice to help you address anorexia and bulimia
Have you recently thought about losing a few pounds? Or thought your clothes would look better if you dropped some weight? Chances are you have, as these are fairly common thoughts among adults and, sadly, teenagers and children. From information about the increasing rate of obesity among adults and children to television programs that focus on weight loss and making healthy food choices, it is almost impossible to avoid the rising focus on this topic in society.
Tiffany Rush-Wilson, Ph.D., PCC-S, NCC, LP, CCC, serves as the skill development coordinator for the M.S. in Mental Health Counseling program at Walden University and is a subject-matter expert for techniques of counseling and prevention, interv...
View Full ProfileSupport your loved one to help them overcome an overeating problem
Helping a loved one with their overeating problem can be difficult, especially if you’re not sure what to do. This article is meant to help you better understand your role as a support for your friend or family member as they tackle this issue of overeating.
Learn to break free from emotional eating, disordered eating, and limiting beliefs that keep you from living a life you love in a body you adore. Shannon Lagasse, Emotional Eating Coach and recovered anorexic, bulimic, and binge eater, teache...
View Full ProfileRecent ArticlesEmotional balance may be the best remedy for eating problems
What if your eating problems aren’t really about food, but are due to lacking effective life skills for coping and comfort when you’re stressed and distressed? What if eating is your best shot at taking care of yourself because you don’t know how to do so any better?
Based in Sarasota, Florida, Karen is a worldwide eating coach, blogger, educator, and psychotherapist specializing in overcoming overeating and emotional eating. She teaches the non-diet/non-deprivation approach to finding a comfortable, sustain...
View Full ProfileRecent ArticlesFemale athlete triad: Eating disorders have lasting effects
With the increased participation of women in many sports, especially those at the elite level, female athletes have developed their own unique set of medical issues, the foremost being the female athlete triad. In 1997 the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) defined the criteria in a position stand to include disordered eating, amenorrhea or lack of menses and osteoporosis. In 2007 the Triad was redefined as: a syndrome of low energy with or without disordered eating, functional hypothalamic amenorrhea and osteoporosis.
I have been a Registered Dietitian for over twelve years, the first seven years in a clinical setting the last seven working specifically with the HIV population first in home care and now in an outpatient clinic. I also have a small private pra...
View Full ProfileRecent ArticlesStop dieting and enjoy food again by learning mindful eating
Despite marketing and media hype, diets and diet products are ineffective and not sustainable in the long-term. Trying to control diet with a regimented food plan, counting calories, under-eating or skipping meals increases food cravings and obsessive thoughts about food. Addressing your body’s unique needs, optimizing nutritional status, and stabilizing blood sugar levels can help you establish appetite control.
James M. Greenblatt, M.D., is the Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Services at Walden Behavioral Care in Waltham, Mass., one of the country’s leading hospitals for treating eating disorders. His three published books, Answe...
View Full ProfileRecent ArticlesBulimia nervosa: Help your child overcome their eating disorder
If you are a parent who has a child struggling with bulimia, it can be difficult to know what to do and how to find the best help for your child. Bulimia is a serious eating disorder and as a parent you have an obligation to help them. It is important to know that bulimia is not limited to just vomiting, and can include excessive exercise, or abuse of laxatives and/or diuretics. Here is some advice to help.
Learn to break free from emotional eating, disordered eating, and limiting beliefs that keep you from living a life you love in a body you adore. Shannon Lagasse, Emotional Eating Coach and recovered anorexic, bulimic, and binge eater, teache...
View Full ProfileRecent ArticlesControl your appetite and binge eating using supplements
Because binge eating and food addiction are biological problems, answers to appetite control must begin with biology.
Restoring a healthy appetite starts with determining your unique biochemistry. Based on results from your laboratory evaluations, you can begin a program of nutritional support tailored just for you.
James M. Greenblatt, M.D., is the Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Services at Walden Behavioral Care in Waltham, Mass., one of the country’s leading hospitals for treating eating disorders. His three published books, Answe...
View Full ProfileRecent ArticlesLose weight by breaking free of emotional eating
Stress, anxiety, sadness, boredom, anger, and loneliness can all trigger emotional eating. Let’s reach for a “Tool Kit” let go of food cravings in a healthy way. If you find yourself regularly eating in response to emotions, try to break the habit with some of the strategies below. By being conscious of these simple changes, you can empower yourself to take control of your cravings and turn them into intuition! Once you can tell the difference between real hunger and cravings, you will be well on your way to feeling connected, energetic—and free.
Julie Daniluk’s bestselling book, Meals that Heal Inflammation, advises on allergy-free eating that tastes great and assists the body in the healing process. Her second book, Slimming Meals That Heal, explores how inflammation causes weight gain...
View Full ProfileAdvice for avoiding midnight snacking
Are you a late night snacker? Do you find yourself reaching for a sweet or salty treat at the end of the evening? Do stress or emotions drive you towards ice cream in the fridge or that bag of chips in the pantry? You are not alone. Many Americans engage in late night eating for a myriad of reasons. Whether it be boredom, loneliness, frustration, habit or a lack of balanced meals throughout the day, eating late at night has become routine for many and is often in response to an emotion rather than a hunger cue.
Mary Purdy, MS, RD is a Registered Dietitian with a Master's Degree in Clinical Nutrition from Bastyr University. She provides medical nutrition therapy and nutritional counseling at her Private Practice at the Seattle Healing Arts Center and is...
View Full ProfileOvercome compulsive, binge, and over-eating with this advice
Addictive behavior, such as binge eating, usually started when we were fairly young. We needed a way to cope - to comfort ourselves because we were feeling a lot of emotions, especially fear, and didn’t know how to handle them. Today if we learn to deal with the inevitable pure emotional energy of sadness, anger, and fear, we won’t look for food or something else to fill that emptiness and stop those awful emotional sensations.
Jude Bijou MA MFT is a respected psychotherapist, professional educator, and workshop leader. Her theory of Attitude Reconstruction® evolved over the course of more than 30 years working with clients as a licensed marriage and family therapist. ...
View Full ProfileRecent ArticlesNavigating insurance coverage for the treatment of eating disorders
At long last, you or a family member decide to reach out for help, to make a life change and seek treatment for an eating disorder. However, even this seemingly simple first step can be a daunting task for many, requiring great bravery in the midst of a disease that thrives on keeping people weak.
Lisa Kantor, a Los Angeles lawyer and partner in Kantor & Kantor LLP, represents people denied health benefits for treatment of both physical and mental illnesses. Most recently, Ms. Kantor has focused her efforts litigating insurance company de...
View Full ProfileTreat compulsive eating by taking the power away from food
Am I a compulsive eater and if so, what should I do??
What does it mean to be a compulsive eater?
Well, I start by asking this simple question, "Is food more powerful than you?" If you asked yourself and the answer feels like a yes, then you may be a compulsive eater.
Michelle Cleary is a licensed clinical social worker who has garnered extensive experience in private and public settings for over 14 years. In addition to working closely with trauma victims and those struggling with eating disorders she works ...
View Full ProfileRecent ArticlesHow to stop binge eating and live a healthier life
Stopping binge eating is an awesome step to start living a healthier, happier life. This advice will help guide you along in the process of recovery.
Learn to break free from emotional eating, disordered eating, and limiting beliefs that keep you from living a life you love in a body you adore. Shannon Lagasse, Emotional Eating Coach and recovered anorexic, bulimic, and binge eater, teache...
View Full ProfileRecent Articles