Hi all.
Is anybody here struggling with food addiction via a vis RECODE?
I understand why a dopamine response to eating was built into living creatures - just like a dopamine/prolactin response to sex, without it this experiment would have been short lived when all of the subjects either starved to death or failed to reproduce!
My question is, when your dopamine response has been exaggerated through growing up in a foodie family, and years of ingesting comfort carbs, never really developing an appreciation for veggies, WHAT do you do instead to keep the dopamine flowing when eating absolutely loses its appeal and you are just chucking in unappealing nutrients to keep your brain from frying?
I am currently shifting over from low glycemic index to full on keto, which is hard enough, but envisioning a future transition to no dairy is impossible to me right now. Dairy is a small bright spot in a diet that literally might as well be ground up newspaper.
I have a brother who is fighting cancer, and he is literally a keto vegan as a result - that looks like my future on RECODE just a whole bunch, and I am really struggling with how to replace pleasure in eating, and with what?
Most of my life has revolved around working hard and enjoying celebratory food at every juncture. I don't know where to look for activities that will replace eating as fun.
Stories, suggestions, and recipes gladly accepted!
RECODE and food addiction
Re: RECODE and food addiction
I don’t know I’d what you’re calling food addiction is actually addiction, I am a lay person on that matter so I don’t want to say something that isn’t the case for you. But if you are describing not being able to appreciate (gustatorily) healthier foods, many people have successfully found themselves changing personal tastes over time. A few things I understand that happen -
- taste buds do adapt over time to appreciate more tastes that are more subtle. People adapting from fast food because of health challenges have this battle too. Less salt, less fat, less taste optimizers- without them for a while and then you can taste what’s in a veggie better.
- your microbiome shifts and may even (not sure what the references are for this) start to nudge you towards choosing and preferring foods that better suit the new biome’s needs.
- after adapting to the new foods your body starts to change and be more metabolically healthy and then a meal that has less “healthiness” will make your body not feel so good to be in it so you will feel better eating better so there’s a positive reward which will help you make that good choice in the future.
- separating from the less healthy items will start to lower the dopamine trigger level. It does kick in over time.
- and finally, why are healthy meals boring? Use new recipes/techniques, spices/herbs/unusual flavors and prepare interesting combinations with the same big foodie energy as with ingredients that have more taste than health. Challenge yourself to adjust recipes using better foods but trying to match what you like.
Believe me I am horribly tempted by many things not so good. My sugar demon raves all the time. I will drive hours for a fine meal. I am only saved from dairy because I have a protein sensitivity and if I eat cow/goat dairy some joints ache 20-22 hours later. Wheat hits different joints than dairy and in not as many hours. I have found over time I can appreciate a lovely meal of a ton of veggies etc. Give it all time to kick in but if you can be aggressive about saying no and wait it out the adaptation should kick in faster.
- taste buds do adapt over time to appreciate more tastes that are more subtle. People adapting from fast food because of health challenges have this battle too. Less salt, less fat, less taste optimizers- without them for a while and then you can taste what’s in a veggie better.
- your microbiome shifts and may even (not sure what the references are for this) start to nudge you towards choosing and preferring foods that better suit the new biome’s needs.
- after adapting to the new foods your body starts to change and be more metabolically healthy and then a meal that has less “healthiness” will make your body not feel so good to be in it so you will feel better eating better so there’s a positive reward which will help you make that good choice in the future.
- separating from the less healthy items will start to lower the dopamine trigger level. It does kick in over time.
- and finally, why are healthy meals boring? Use new recipes/techniques, spices/herbs/unusual flavors and prepare interesting combinations with the same big foodie energy as with ingredients that have more taste than health. Challenge yourself to adjust recipes using better foods but trying to match what you like.
Believe me I am horribly tempted by many things not so good. My sugar demon raves all the time. I will drive hours for a fine meal. I am only saved from dairy because I have a protein sensitivity and if I eat cow/goat dairy some joints ache 20-22 hours later. Wheat hits different joints than dairy and in not as many hours. I have found over time I can appreciate a lovely meal of a ton of veggies etc. Give it all time to kick in but if you can be aggressive about saying no and wait it out the adaptation should kick in faster.
Re: RECODE and food addiction
Thanks - I have not had any success with experiencing the mood enhancement with healthier foods.
I am actually looking for ways to get that mood boost without eating. I'm sure daredevil behavior would do it, but I'm kinda agey to take up skydiving or motorcycle racing.
Has anybody found a substitute behavior or behaviors that elevate mood like eating pleasurable food?
I am actually looking for ways to get that mood boost without eating. I'm sure daredevil behavior would do it, but I'm kinda agey to take up skydiving or motorcycle racing.
Has anybody found a substitute behavior or behaviors that elevate mood like eating pleasurable food?
Re: RECODE and food addiction
Regular vigorous exercise and making sure you’ve been tested for nutrients /address deficiencies can definitely help moods (helped for me especially vit D and omega 3’s). How long have you been trying the new diet? Are you getting enough protein?
Re: RECODE and food addiction
Hi Veero! Thanks for the suggestions!
I do get lots of vigorous exercise living on 5 unruly acres of previously abandoned ranch in the mountains. I just put in 2 hours of hoeing, planting, and hand watering in the garden. It's a great distraction but at my age it doesn't go a full 8 hours most days.
My vitamin D is actually above what my doctor prefers, as I get plenty of UV at this altitude and latitude. I take Omega 3 and DHA supplements well as magnesium, which do all help mood.
I've been doing low GI with 14:3 fasting since May 1, switched to keto June 1 and already in mild ketosis.
I am just fiercely addicted to that food buzz from eating really delicious, especially sweet foods. I have incorporated berries daily and I use stevia in my coffee, but I am like an opioid addict in need of a fix - mopey, bored, irritable and in general out of whack. Healthy foods do not hit the receptors that junk food hits, no matter how tasty that kale crunch salad may be. It's a brain chemistry issue plain and simple and I need to find a substitute activity that will provide the "high" without the risk. I'm hoping somebody who has experienced this has found an alternative.
I do get lots of vigorous exercise living on 5 unruly acres of previously abandoned ranch in the mountains. I just put in 2 hours of hoeing, planting, and hand watering in the garden. It's a great distraction but at my age it doesn't go a full 8 hours most days.
My vitamin D is actually above what my doctor prefers, as I get plenty of UV at this altitude and latitude. I take Omega 3 and DHA supplements well as magnesium, which do all help mood.
I've been doing low GI with 14:3 fasting since May 1, switched to keto June 1 and already in mild ketosis.
I am just fiercely addicted to that food buzz from eating really delicious, especially sweet foods. I have incorporated berries daily and I use stevia in my coffee, but I am like an opioid addict in need of a fix - mopey, bored, irritable and in general out of whack. Healthy foods do not hit the receptors that junk food hits, no matter how tasty that kale crunch salad may be. It's a brain chemistry issue plain and simple and I need to find a substitute activity that will provide the "high" without the risk. I'm hoping somebody who has experienced this has found an alternative.
Re: RECODE and food addiction
Address electrolytes- I find when I’m heavy in ketosis I am cranky and out of it too but it’s greatly improved with some LMNT (electrolyte product) or equivalent with sometimes some No-Salt (potassium chloride) added and keeping very good hydration is all essential for control of that. Google keto flu and Reddit also has some interesting things to discuss on their keto/fasting subreddits to help these feelings.
Re: RECODE and food addiction
I read your posts earlier today, and I have been thinking about how I want to respond. I don't think you are asking the right question. Is your question really how to replace the food buzz? Is a deeper, more meaningful question how you remake your relationship with food? How to be a more balanced person so that you are not craving that dopamine hit? How to be peaceful?Stitch wrote: ↑Tue Jun 04, 2024 11:46 am I am just fiercely addicted to that food buzz from eating really delicious, especially sweet foods. I have incorporated berries daily and I use stevia in my coffee, but I am like an opioid addict in need of a fix - mopey, bored, irritable and in general out of whack. Healthy foods do not hit the receptors that junk food hits, no matter how tasty that kale crunch salad may be. It's a brain chemistry issue plain and simple and I need to find a substitute activity that will provide the "high" without the risk. I'm hoping somebody who has experienced this has found an alternative.
I had a really intense, horrible eating disorder for about 10 years, subsiding about 35 years ago. It took heart and soul to remake myself from the bottom up. There were two pivotal books that I read. One was about eating when you're hungry and stopping when you are full. It was a shock to me to be reminded that my body had hunger/full signals that I could follow. Sure enough, they were still there. The excitement of learning to feel and follow those signals still makes me smile. The other book was about visualizing what we want. I knew I was in trouble when I could not even visualize sitting down peacefully to a meal.
What do you want your relationship with food to be? Do you really want to be looking for the food buzz, disappointed when your kale salad does not provide it for you? If you paid attention to how your energy has calmed down, how your tummy feels, the crunch of the salad, if your digestion is better, would that give you the positive feedback that you need to move forward with a more positive attitude? Self-exploration, getting to know who you are without that sugar buzz, might reinforce your long-term goals. How much has your excess sugar consumption changed the feedback signals in your body? Of course you are going to have withdrawal. I wonder how long it will take for your body to reset. I was seriously shocked that my body could feel hunger and fullness, that I could still receive those signals, after so many years of abuse. It happened pretty quickly, once I became aware of the signals. You might also be surprised.
You original question is asking for a replacement for reactions in your body to something that is not in balance. It might be more effective to step further back and ask how you bring that something into balance.
Re: RECODE and food addiction
Well thanks for answering a question I didn't ask. I won't share my feelings.JD2020 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 04, 2024 3:50 pmI read your posts earlier today, and I have been thinking about how I want to respond. I don't think you are asking the right question. Is your question really how to replace the food buzz? Is a deeper, more meaningful question how you remake your relationship with food? How to be a more balanced person so that you are not craving that dopamine hit? How to be peaceful?Stitch wrote: ↑Tue Jun 04, 2024 11:46 am I am just fiercely addicted to that food buzz from eating really delicious, especially sweet foods. I have incorporated berries daily and I use stevia in my coffee, but I am like an opioid addict in need of a fix - mopey, bored, irritable and in general out of whack. Healthy foods do not hit the receptors that junk food hits, no matter how tasty that kale crunch salad may be. It's a brain chemistry issue plain and simple and I need to find a substitute activity that will provide the "high" without the risk. I'm hoping somebody who has experienced this has found an alternative.
I had a really intense, horrible eating disorder for about 10 years, subsiding about 35 years ago. It took heart and soul to remake myself from the bottom up. There were two pivotal books that I read. One was about eating when you're hungry and stopping when you are full. It was a shock to me to be reminded that my body had hunger/full signals that I could follow. Sure enough, they were still there. The excitement of learning to feel and follow those signals still makes me smile. The other book was about visualizing what we want. I knew I was in trouble when I could not even visualize sitting down peacefully to a meal.
What do you want your relationship with food to be? Do you really want to be looking for the food buzz, disappointed when your kale salad does not provide it for you? If you paid attention to how your energy has calmed down, how your tummy feels, the crunch of the salad, if your digestion is better, would that give you the positive feedback that you need to move forward with a more positive attitude? Self-exploration, getting to know who you are without that sugar buzz, might reinforce your long-term goals. How much has your excess sugar consumption changed the feedback signals in your body? Of course you are going to have withdrawal. I wonder how long it will take for your body to reset. I was seriously shocked that my body could feel hunger and fullness, that I could still receive those signals, after so many years of abuse. It happened pretty quickly, once I became aware of the signals. You might also be surprised.
You original question is asking for a replacement for reactions in your body to something that is not in balance. It might be more effective to step further back and ask how you bring that something into balance.
Re: RECODE and food addiction
I'm sorry if I offended or upset you.
Re: RECODE and food addiction
Hi StitchStitch wrote: ↑Mon Jun 03, 2024 4:39 pm Hi all.
Is anybody here struggling with food addiction via a vis RECODE?
I understand why a dopamine response to eating was built into living creatures - just like a dopamine/prolactin response to sex, without it this experiment would have been short lived when all of the subjects either starved to death or failed to reproduce!
My question is, when your dopamine response has been exaggerated through growing up in a foodie family, and years of ingesting comfort carbs, never really developing an appreciation for veggies, WHAT do you do instead to keep the dopamine flowing when eating absolutely loses its appeal and you are just chucking in unappealing nutrients to keep your brain from frying?
I am currently shifting over from low glycemic index to full on keto, which is hard enough, but envisioning a future transition to no dairy is impossible to me right now. Dairy is a small bright spot in a diet that literally might as well be ground up newspaper.
I have a brother who is fighting cancer, and he is literally a keto vegan as a result - that looks like my future on RECODE just a whole bunch, and I am really struggling with how to replace pleasure in eating, and with what?
Most of my life has revolved around working hard and enjoying celebratory food at every juncture. I don't know where to look for activities that will replace eating as fun.
Stories, suggestions, and recipes gladly accepted!
That's a really interesting question. I am about to run an interview with a specialist in the psychology of eating. I will ask her that exact question for you. The interview will only be in my FB group, but I can absolutely precis what she says and come back to you with it.
I bet this is something most people struggle with early into the keto diet.
Lindsey
TCHC - Lindsey Byrne - The Cognitive Health Coach - UK
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach (FMCHC)
Certified Re:CODE 2.0 Health Coach
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach (FMCHC)
Certified Re:CODE 2.0 Health Coach