Of course, not all food in nature is totally benign either. I heart mushrooms.
“Dear God, Thank you for this food. Please bless it. And please tell mom to stop hiding the treat popcorn in her room and eating it all because we’d like some too. Amen.*” Hiding treats from the kids for a little mommy down time later on is a time honored tradition among those of us who have to share nearly everything with little people who will either backwash in it, break it or handle it with fingers that did not get washed after the last bathroom visit. (And I include my boobs in this – can you backwash breastmilk? If there’s a way, I’m sure my kids did it.) However, this particular incident went beyond a divine mandate to stop hoarding treats and be a better sharer and as my son finished his prayer I felt the heat rising in my face. I didn’t think my kids had noticed. I should have known better.
See, this wasn’t any ordinary treat. I’ve always had a sweet tooth – we call our baby Jelly Bean for pity’s sake – but last Christmas I was introduced to the wonder (or horror) of the Archer Farms Spicy Caramel Popcorn Clusters.
The popcorn came into our house intended as gifts for friends (you know, the kind that show up with a gift for you but you didn’t think to give them anything so instead of just admitting you’re a jerk, you can produce a container of generically pleasing treats with a bow on top!) but it quickly became apparent that no friends were getting any of this stuff. Sweet, chewy, crunchy, buttery and with just a hint of hit-you-in-the-adenoids red pepper – this “treat” popcorn became my obsession. If it was in the house, I couldn’t think about anything else until I’d eaten it. As in, eaten all of it. All eleventy billion servings in one day.
It went way beyond enjoying a simple holiday treat. As I talked with a friend the other day about his binge eating disorder – yes, “him”, binge eating is the one eating disorder that seems to effect men in equal number as women – I immediately recognized the robotic, out-of-control, out-of-body feeling he was describing. His package of Oreos was my canister of spicy caramel popcorn. It was a sobering realization. Never in my life have I ever felt so controlled by my food — and I’m the girl who once attended an Easter feast and ate nothing but lettuce leaves (after having dusted the cheese off of them) because I was so in thrall to my food rules.
It’s a scary feeling.
So what is it about some foods that cause this reaction in people? Except for the one time in college when my roommates and I ate 50 pounds of farm-fresh green apples in one weekend because we were so nutrition deprived (and then spent the rest of the week playing musical toilets), I’ve never binged on produce. According to food scientist David Kessler it’s due to three magic words: Sugar. Fat. Salt.
Any one of those three ingredients can be harmful in excess but put them together and you have a recipe for a dietary disaster. Think of all your favorite snack foods – the ones you “can’t eat just one!” of. Chips, cookies, chicken wings, soft pretzels, funnel cakes and basically anything else you can buy at the State Fair all have one thing in common: they are, as Kessler put it, “fat layered on sugar on top of salt” dipped in a sauce of fat, salt and sugar. There’s something about the one-two-three punch of these ingredients together that makes them addicting in a way other foods aren’t. And food companies know this. This is why the majority of our “trigger” foods are processed, boxed and slickly advertised products.
This is important because knowing this, at least for me, is the difference between feeling like eating all that popcorn was a moral failing and feeling angry because the popcorn was intentionally designed to be addicting. Since having my weight-gain epiphany (and thank you all so so so much for all the helpful tips, supportive comments and love yesterday – you have no idea how much it helps me!!) I’ve been trying to pay more attention to what I’m eating and why I’m eating it. And the more I pay attention the more I find that fat/salt/sugar torpedo aimed at me.
I think I’m probably luckier than many people, at least in this regard. Whether it’s from retraining my taste buds or lucky genes, many of these trigger foods hold little appeal for me. Soda pop, fried foods, hamburgers, cookies and even chocolate don’t inspire this kind of feeling in me. They can be in my house and while I might occasionally crave them, I won’t have to eat them until they’re gone. Unlike spicy caramel popcorn. But now that I know this about myself what can I do?
1. Don’t buy it. Since Christmas I’ve only bought that popcorn once. And the entire container was gone by the end of the day. Lesson learned: moderation will not work with this food. It may not be entirely my fault if I overeat a food designed to be overeaten but it is my fault if I buy it.
2. Don’t beat myself up over it. Guilt only leads to more bad eating. That idea of “I already ruined it! Might as well eat whatever I want now and start over fresh tomorrow!” is insidious.
Do you have a food that once you start eating it, you just can’t stop? What do you do to stop a binge before it starts?
*We are big fans of the passive-aggressive revenge prayer at our house. Example: Dear God, thank you for helping me forgive my brother even though he is the biggest jerk ever and he deserves that kick in the Brazil nuts I gave him.
Interesting. This makes me feel better too! I have a tendency to be binge triggered by this kind of stuff so it’s nice to hear I’m not just completely lacking will-power. I don’t buy Kettle chips anymore for this very reason. Particularly the sweet flavors like Honey Dijon. Not only does the fiance not like them but I also can’t stop until I eat the entire “sharing” bag. It’s the same reason I so rarely bake. Baked goods are a huge trigger for me too. But soda, ice cream, chocolate mostly don’t bother me either.
Oh wait. Except for Nutella. One of my coworkers just mentioned that and now all I want is Nutella. I think that is probably the ultimate trigger food for me. I hadn’t bought it in years and did a couple months ago. 24 hours later there wasn’t a clean spoon in the house because I’d used every single one to have “just one” bite and then put it in the sink to try to discourage myself from having more. My love hate relationship with Nutella is epic.
I used to have a lot of trigger foods- my first thought was to ask you if you wanted that alphabetically, or…? There was no way I could not finish leftovers, pizza, etc. A few years ago, I managed to lose about 80 pounds. I was really happy about that, and then a lot of stuff happened. I ended up taking a really stressful job- four years later, I had put it all back on. I changed jobs last month and so far have lost ten pounds. My ‘trigger’ foods are all over the house still- I just am not interested anymore. It can’t be *just* the food, otherwise I would still be struggling. For me, I think it’s more stress related than food related. When I’m not stressed out, I make better choices without even really thinking about it. I’m not made of steel, though. Cheetos are not welcome in my house- especially the jalapeno ones. 😉
Nutter Butters. Damn the Nutter Butters.
And my dear, sweet husband buys them for me because he knows I love them. I explain the concept of trigger foods and that I want to lose weight but he looks confused and says “I only bought the small package. Plus you run so much, you deserve a treat!” Sigh.
I ate one of those Nutter Butter packages as a pre-race meal in hopes that I’d find a way to make that work. Um, no. Tummy no likey.
But I cannot eat less than the whole package. Ever. So I have to forget they exist.
Its partially stress but you lost 80 lbs the less body fat you have the less of the hormone leptin you have and more grehlin these two control apitite and metabolism also stress will raise cortisol. You were well under homiostasis probly restricting carbs so blood sugar was low and very sensitive too insulin dieting under your Basal metabolic rate so partially in starvation mode introduce something sweet just once blood sugar goes up insulin follows blood sugar fall really low and brain takes over the eating will not stop and you have no control at all now that you back too a normal metabolic rate and have slighty more nody fat than your body want you have control again key is loosing it correctly this time you can loose weight with severe caloric restriction but maintaining it will be impossible unless you eat like a hamster the rest of your life figure out the maintenance caloric needs for the weight you want too be. Eat those from healthy sources increase deficit with excercise weight training too build lean body no more than 30 min cardio. When you reach your goal this way it will be keepable
Another great thing that you can do : Share!
I realized the last couple of years that part of my binge-eating problem stems from the fear that I won’t get more. If we open a package of cookies and I only eat two, the next time I want some, they might be gone. So I obviously have to eat the whole package to ensure I get (more than) my fair share. Just in case. I know it’s not a healthy way to think, and I’m getting better. The more people I share with, the less I eat, while still getting some of whatever it is.
I’ve also come to know myself well enough to know that I CAN’T eat “just a little” of some (okay, lots of) things. Better for me not to have any caramel corn than it is to get sucked into the abyss because I opened the portal with “just one little handful.”
As the oldest of four and now the mother of quick-fingered kids, I relate to this; I always feel like I need to finish my share, in advance!
But sometimes sharing doesn’t work as well as I’d like; I bought nachos at Baja Fresh a while ago, thinking, “I’ll share these with the hubs, and then it won’t be so bad that I ate these.” Share them I did, but I had to consciously stop myself from stabbing my husband’s hand with my fork because he was eating my precious nachos. That I offered to him. Yeah, I’m crazy.
I’m sure there are still some foods that I might feel that way about, but the more I thought about why there were certain foods I felt I could not stop eating, the more I realized it was me and not the foods (which seems to be the opposite conclusion you have come to). It was partially because I was telling myself not to eat them at all, so then of course I’d say I’d have just one bite and eat the whole thing (cake, carton of ice cream, whatever) and swear never to eat said food ever again. I was also denying myself real foods/meals because I was saving up for the next time I *knew* I’d fail at moderation when something sweet came around, if that makes any sense. Somehow it seemed like a great idea to just eat a bowl of raw vegetables as dinner, and then when I binged on tons of junk later at least it would even out, right? Um, no.
Conventional packaged foods are just bad news though, in my opinion. I’ve made peace with lots of old trigger foods, but they are all things like homemade baked goods with real ingredients. Stick a package of Doritos or Cookies-N-Cream Pop Tarts in front of me and I can’t say what might happen.
I’m recovering from binge eating disorder. My binge of choice was the garlic bread you buy in the foil from the bakery department. I can actually eat an entire loaf of that in one sitting by myself. No lie. I’m also no longer allowed to purchase that. Or garlic bread if I’m feeling stressed, sad or lonely.
I’m also glad BED is finally being recognized as a real eating disorder. It’s hard to ask for help for something when it’s not even recognized as something that you should be helped for.
Potato chips are my nemesis. The more I eat, the more I want. But once I get it out of my system, I can go without for a long time. There are some things I can enjoy in moderation, but with potato chips that just doesn’t seem to work.
I agree with an above poster that stress plays a huge part though. After about 6 months of being on a really even keel, feeling really good about what I was eating, feeling like it was effortless, I went on a 3 week binge that seemed to come out of nowhere. Looking back now, I can see that it was probably stress, but somehow I can never see that at the time.
As a side note, when I was home visiting my parents last winter we got talking about stress. My mom is not a good sleeper, and when she is stressed it is even worse. I am generally a good sleeper, as is my dad. As we were talking, Dad said that when he gets stressed he eats. Who knows? Maybe there is a hereditary component there.
I’m recovering from binge eating disorder. My binge of choice was the garlic bread you buy in the foil from the bakery department. I can actually eat an entire loaf of that in one sitting by myself. No lie. I’m also no longer allowed to purchase that. Or garlic bread if I’m feeling stressed, sad or lonely.
I’m also glad BED is finally being recognized as a real eating disorder. It’s hard to ask for help for something when it’s not even recognized as something that you should be helped for. I’m on a new cocktail of drugs that are really helping me too, in addition to talk therapy.
Cashew nuts, or the cocoa or cinnamon almonds. Th emerald ones go on BOGO all the times and it is so hard to resist. I ate an entire 1600 calorie container at work one day. I can simply not buy them. Also love natural ground peanut butter, cheeze-its, and a bag of sweet potato chips that ended up in my cart didn’t last a day. Boredom or avoiding work I don’t like is a big trigger for me.
As you know, I have a complicated history with food that has involved restriction and binge-ish tendencies. Even though I need to gain so much weight, I do still have foods that I know I don’t want around .I don’t worry about gaining weight, but rather to losing control (a big part of my whole ED/OCD crap.) I like to have things measured out or in small portions so I don’t have to think about sitting down with a box of granola and losing that control. I realize this isn’t exactly addressing the problem head-on, but I don’t feel deprived and can still enjoy things in moderation.
However, I do wish it wasn’t an issue. I wish I could “lose control” and not have it be a huge issue and set me way back. I have the advantage of living alone as well, meaning those trigger foods aren’t around, but it’s still a continuous issue. I would like not to measure things out, but progress, not perfection.
(And in my humble opinion, a binge also doesn’t have to be 5,000 calories in one sitting. I think it’s anything that is eaten to a personal amount of excess that comes from an unhealthy motivation.)
P.S. Sorry. I kind of got off topic 😉
Very interesting post. I’m the kind of person who can buy a block of chocolate and not touch it, but the minute I open it, it has to be eaten. I’ve really been working on this, though, and can usually restrain myself. I’ve learned though that I am better off just buying a bar and buying it when I feel like it, not just because it’s on special!
I really lol-ed at the apple story 😀
I read David Kessler’s book (“The End of Overeating”) a couple of years ago, and it pretty much put me off processed food for good. I don’t crave it at all, and when I eat it on occasion (like at the in-laws), I don’t generally enjoy it. Well, except for two things: chocolate and Nutella (I guess those qualify as processed). I try not buying them, but then I resort to eating chocolate chips. If I didn’t have those either, I’d probably eat cocoa powder or something. I don’t exactly binge, but I definitely eat more than I’d like to. It wouldn’t bother me, except I usually eat chocolate when I’m stressed being home with the kids, so I don’t even really enjoy it. I’m usually shoving it in my mouth, while hiding from the kids so they don’t see me eating it (why? is it that I don’t want to share, or that I don’t want them to eat junk?) and trying not to breathe on them until the evidence is completely rinsed away. Believe me, they smell it on my breath.
When I’m not pregnant, baked goods are my worst enemy. Cupcakes and chocolate chip cookies are just so tasty! But for whatever reason when I’m pregnant (the whole pregnancy), I can’t even force myself to eat too much of something sweet….not sure why that is!
I totally get what you’re saying with bingeing on those trigger foods. I experience the exact same thing- exact I believe it is for me, and for many people, a combination of emotional eating and as a retaliation and reaction from a previous ED of restriction. It’s about denying the rules- your body doesn’t want to listen to your stupid, pathetic food rules! Wow..sorry about that. Rant ended 🙂
Call me crazy, and most people do, but I am not entirely convinced we are mindless zombies who go gaga over anything salty fattening or sugar laden. Sure the combination of the three can produce some very yummy treats, but I’ve actually gotten to a place with food wherealmost everything out there is either take it or leave it.
I’m starting to believe that what we desire and thecravings for various foods is almost as much due to conditioning as it is to biology.
my two cents 🙂
I still love my sweets but my cravings has been decreased since I have used Roca Labs Formula. I just miss indulging every now and then.
Pasta. Pasta is my nemesis. I don’t feel safe around pasta. Whenever I’m eating it, while I’m still eating it, I’m thinking about eating more of it. I’ve learned that it’s best simply not to have pasta in the house. I hate that I don’t trust myself around pasta.
There is a limit to the amount of sweet stuff, any sweet stuff, that I can eat before going BLERG. But my inner pasta bit seems bottomless, and that’s scary.
BTW, David Kessler’s book is excellent and fascinating and jaw-dropping, and I’ve read it numerous times over. Highly recommended. It will make you think differently about food, and differently about yourself and the way you behave around food.
Pit!! Not ‘bit’. Ack. Proof-read fail.
For me its Thin Mints. If I’m eating one, the rest of the sleeve is soon to follow. Also, the caramel popcorn with the pecans and almonds that gets drizzled with the good chocolate, also fresh made chocolate chip cookies.
I also feel this way about Ribs. However bbq ribs are not something thats usually easy to bring home and have ready to go.
I used to work for a part of the company that made the buns for McDonalds in Australia. The buns had heaps of sugar in them so they’d melt in your mouth and you’d feel like another one. I know how much science they put in to designing these sorts of things from working there, even the packaging of things in the supermarkets. I always thought someone had come up with the design just so that it looked good, but apparently certain colours make people more inclined to buy a product. It’s rather disturbing to think that we are manipulated so easily. I’d certainly believe that the combo of those 3 would cause someone to eat more, or even become addicted. I know that if I start eating some things then I’ll crave it for days. I therefore rarely have cookies or chips in the house.
I have done so well that my doctor now complains that I’m salt deficient 🙂
I love chocolate. I actually realized that my chocolate cravings were sometimes pure cocoa cravings. I made a cup of strong hot sugar free cocoa and felt satisfied. Other times, I love to eat chocolate when I feel good. Like I had a good day then going to the store and choosing something special. And then eating it all at once! Its like I am recreating safe good times of childhood. Like I would have a christmas break ahead, I’d feel great and there would be a lot of good chocolate around. Just had a box of chocs and now cooking vegetable curry with beans. Candy actually makes me want real food. Ohh…women and their cravings ;))
Thank you for this. I never looked at it that way–that companies know what is addicting and so that’s how they can sell heaps of that stuff. Like you said, funny we never seem to binge on produce or, “Man, I really need to eat 5000 calories worth of plain grilled chicken right now.” It really always is the snacks.