Addicted To Food? 5 Tips To Control Your Cravings

Where was this when I was on a 2 week snacking binge? I know that when I sit down to write, the most exercise I get is going back and forth to the snack shelf–and YES I have a snack Shelf!!! Maybe these tips can help me!

I’ve had a few recent run-ins with dark-chocolate M&Ms. Here’s what happens: I’ll grab a few of the candies then sit down at my computer to meet a writing deadline. Type a few words, then walk back the cabinet for more M&Ms. Two sentences. Three M&Ms. The more difficult the subject matter, the less I’m able to focus on writing and the more overwhelming is the pull of the M&Ms.

In the March/April issue of EatingWell, science writer Rachael Moeller Gorman tackles the topic of food addiction — the idea that food can overtake the same brain circuits involved in drug and alcohol addictions. Could I be addicted to chocolate? I could be: people who chronically crave food aren’t so different from people who suffer drug or alcohol addiction, say some experts, including Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

But I’m not addicted to chocolate. For me, overeating M&Ms is situational—the latest manifestation of a chronic procrastination problem that gets worse when I’m under the gun and low on sleep. And, in fact, dealing with issues like stress and too little sleep can help “cure” food cravings, Volkow told Gorman recently. Try these tips to help you stave off overeating*:
See tips here