Symptoms and solutions to stop binge eating

In today’s fast paced stressful life it’s common to not maintain a good diet. There are more eating disorders than healthy options.

The consequences of these problems cannot only lead to physical complications, but also psychological issues. These concerns escalate when body is not maintained appropriately—based on age and height. It has also been proved by researchers that expression of eating disorder has a lot to do with cultural differences. These can be further classified as feeding disorder—selective eating, food phobias and food refusal.

According to doctors and researchers, the problem is not restricted to person’s behaviour, but also carries psychological chaos. As Dr Nupur Krishnan, director of Bio-Logics Nutrition Clinic puts it, “People eat food for three reasons. First, to satisfy stomach because they feel hungry. Second, to satisfy tongue because of the taste they enjoy while eating food. And third, to please mind by eating food to satisfy their emotions.” However, the last part can cause severe damage to a person’s health, especially when it’s connected to emotional cravings. “When a person loses control over what to eat, how much to eat and when to eat, this condition becomes more dangerous, which is called as emotional eating disorder. Emotional eating disorders can destroy self-esteem and ruin health with many complications.”

There are three types of emotional eating disorders that are connected to mind, they are: Binging – Eating more food than required; Anorexia Nervosa – Eating less than required quantity of food; Bulimia – Sometimes eating more and other times eating less to compensate.

Symptoms of Binge Eating
Eating food that might total up to calories required for three to five days.
Eating more than a normal person
Eating more than required during a normal circumstances
Eating within every two hours
Eating with no control over quantity

Eating disorder ends in a vicious circle, which can make an over weight person disconnect with the society. It will lead to more physical and psychological stress. And, this stress will lead them to binge eating. Dr Kalpana Khatwani recommends, “It is important to note that sometimes an eating disorder may be a symptom of an existing underlying depression/anxiety. For any long term successes we have to treat the underlying cause of the eating disorder not just the symptoms.” The eating disorder can also lead to sudden weight loss, which affects the serotonin levels resulting in depressed moods. As Dr Khatwani observes, “Almost everyone is counting calories, watching sugar intake and following any and every dietary guideline spoken of in the media! It’s easy to miss the one person who may have tipped over into the pathological zone. Some signs to watch out for are irritability brought on by excessive restriction of calories resulting in mood swings, sudden and excessive weight loss, excessive discourse regarding the harmful effects of certain foods, eliminating major food groups from ones diet.”

Moreover, binge eating is also associated with non-nutritional foods, which will lead to multiple chronic diseases. Too much sugar and concentrated starches can cause hormonal disorder affecting metabolism that will tempt people to eat more unhealthy food like candy, cookies, pastries, ice cream and breads. Unlike starving oneself, it is important to not use food as an emotional stress reliever.

Solution for Binge Eating
Prefer small and frequent meals that include plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables
To avoid larger portions on platter, share the meal before consumption
Measure the food with appetite
High protein breakfast before active routine
Reduce the intake of caffeine and carbonated beverages
Do not replace main courses with snacks
Include regular exercises, brisk walks, yoga and meditation

Eating disorder is intertwined with physical needs and emotional cravings. These issues need to be taken seriously as it may induce further irreversible health issues.