Unchaining Yourself from an Unhealthy Food Addiction
Protica Research

The cry of I have no willpower! often emerges from the consumers who jokingly surrender to their lack of will when it comes to eating something clearly unhealthy. However, scientific nutritional research has identified that something much more serious much more dangerous is often at work here. For many people, what they perceive as a harmless lack of willpower is actually an addiction an addiction to chemicals that the brain secretes in response to stimulation by certain foods, such as chocolate or cheese[i].

As dangerous as this addiction is, however, recent studies suggest that it is actually much more frightening than it first seems. According to one notable study, the human brain can release dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter linked with feelings enjoyment, when a person merely sees or smells certain foods[ii]. As such, people who may be sensibly avoiding foods that release serotonin and other chemicals (such as chocolate) may still be susceptible to a sight and smell-based addiction to unhealthy food.

Understanding this complex problem begins with understanding the word addiction. Defining a clear-cut definition of addiction is in itself a challenge and a rather hotly debated pursuit at the moment. Still, there is enough unity among credible social and biological scientists to say that a person who is powerless to stop an action is addicted[iii]. When applying this rather grave concept to eating, it becomes starkly clear that choosing an extra slice of pizza or bar of chocolate may be the expression of a very serious addiction to unhealthy food.

Remarkably, unlike how addictions to things like alcohol, drugs, and sexual activity viewed biological and psychological illnesses, addiction to eating is often ignored or, at the very least, diminished to be something that is based on willpower. The insulting advice of just dont eat it if you dont want to get fat! that some obese people actually hear from their doctors, relatives, or colleagues is one of the most common manifestations of this often well-meaning, but potentially harmful, ignorance.

The bottom line fact and one that more medical professionals are accepting based on scientific evidence is that obesity and related eating disorders are often the results of an addiction they are a serious health condition that must be approached methodologically like other diseases[iv].

Understanding that food addiction is indeed a problem a severe disease, in fact is a fundamental key in addressing this unique health challenge. At the same time, the notion of willpower should be removed, in most cases, from the eating disorder vocabulary, and replaced with the word addiction. This will make that extra piece of pizza or that third slice of chocolate cake be seen for what they often are: the means to satisfy a bonafide addiction.

Once the eating disorder as an addiction paradigm is in place, then and only then can both unhealthy eaters and those supporting them take steps to solve the problem. While there are no overnight solutions, there are paths that eaters can take that head in the right direction: freedom from eating addiction. The first step on this path is to eat a complete and balanced source of nutrition.

Taking this first step, like so much else associated with the addiction to unhealthy food, is easier said than done. Eating sensibly is unusually difficult in a time-starved culture and even more difficult when there are arrays of self-described nutritious dietary sources to choose from. Whether it is energy bars or fad diets, finding a simple, convenient, and practical source of balanced nutrition is hard to find.

However, some exceptional products are garnering serious positive attention from scientific community. These products deliver complete protein in a vitamin enriched formula. Furthermore and of critical value is that these products contain no carbohydrates, no unsaturated fat, and few calories none of which are from fat. These products are helping people unchain themselves from food addictions, and reflect a trend towards nutritious and ethical nutritional supplement manufacturing.

Of ultimate importance, however, is that these products return eating choice control back to where it must always remain: with conscious and empowered consumers, and not to some hidden and potentially destructive addiction.

About Protica

Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm with offices in Lafayette Hill and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Protica manufactures capsulized foods, including Profect, a compact, hypoallergenic, ready-to-drink protein beverage containing zero carbohydrates and zero fat. Information on Protica is available at www.protica.com

You can also learn about Profect at www.profect.com

References

[i] Source: Thats Why We Call it Junk Food. MSNBC. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3606198/

[ii] Source: Food on the Brain. Forbes.com. http://www.forbes.com/home_europe/free_forbes/2005/0110/063.html

[iii] Source: Addiction. eHealth Connection. http://www.ehealthconnection.com/regions/ehealth/health_information/ 00036220.asp

[iv] Source: Obesity as a Disease. MPR News. http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2004/03/29_bensonl_desease/

Copyright 2004 – Protica Research – http://www.protica.com

About the Author

About Protica

Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm with offices in Lafayette Hill and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Protica manufactures capsulized foods, including Profect, a compact, hypoallergenic, ready-to-drink protein beverage containing zero carbohydrates and zero fat. You can learn more about Protica at www.protica.com — Information on Profect is available at www.profect.com

Copyright 2004 – Protica Research

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I know it is frustrating, but did you know there are so many reasons a woman can t lose weight it is like the whole world, and our bodies, is working against us. I am not kidding, with so many things not in our favor it is amazing that any woman can lose the weight she wants to.

It’s just not fair, I mean, men can seemingly eat what they want and if they should put on a few extra pounds all they have to do is think about it and the extra weight is gone, right? Ok, maybe not all of them but I know a guy who just recently lost 35 pounds in about 7 weeks. It took me 6 months to lose that amount of weight then as soon as I stopped working hard at it, I put it all back on and then some.

On average women carry 6 – 11 percent more body fat then men do. This is necessary for the regulation of certain hormones and regular menstruation not to mention having all the curves in all the right places. But if you have too much body fat and can t lose weight don’t you think you deserve some answers?

One of the reasons is that sometimes we think that if we do not eat we can lose weight. This is so far from the truth that when you read this you will probably kick yourself. Skipping meals is the number one reason why women GAIN weight. That’s right, I said gain weight.

Why? Because our bodies enter into what I like to call starvation mode and instead of burning off the excess it holds on to it because it doesn’t know when it will be getting more fuel. Your metabolism actually slows way down almost to the point of not working at all. So the fix is to eat five or six small meals a day to keep your metabolism stoked. Make those meals as low carb as you can get, too.

Another reason is lack of exercise. Did you know that all you need to do is walk for thirty minutes a day to lose those extra pounds? Who can’t do that? Ask a friend to do this with you or record some favorite music on your mp3 player and just get moving. This along with your new eating plan should be enough to start losing some significant weight.

If you have not yet reached the age for menopause or even perimenopause you might want to do all you can to lose the weight before the time comes. Once you reach this age losing weight will become even more difficult. Menopause comes at different times for every woman so talk to you mother and find out the age she went through it. This is as good a starting point as anything.

Other reasons a woman can t lose weight include stress, lack of significant restful sleep, and ineffective blood sugar metabolism. Which does not mean that you have diabetes, so don’t worry, it could just mean you eat too many carbs and you are keeping your insulin production at a high rate. When this happens your body automatically converts the carbs you eat to sugar and when that sugar doesn’t get burned up, your body converts it and stores it as fat, usually around your middle section.

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As amazing as it may seem, there are still new diets coming out all the time. You would that by now the real “secret” would have been found and that there would be no need for new diet plans; however, that’s just not the case. Believe it or not the “secret” has already been revealed, and a weight loss calorie counter can really help.

So what is this secret that has already been exposed? It is that the only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than your body stores. That’s it. Every diet is nothing more than a variation on this idea. In reality, there are no new diets being released. Instead, there are new gimmicks being released, and these gimmicks are designed to disguise the real secret of losing weight.

Now that we know the only way to lose weight, we have to figure out how to make that happen. The trick is figuring out a way that works best for us, and using any tools we can that will help us get rid of some extra weight. A weight loss calorie counter is one of those tools.

You really can’t reduce the number of calories you’re taking in until you know how many you’re taking in now. In other words, you need a benchmark of some kind; a starting point. A lot of people think they have a pretty good idea of how many calories they eat during the day, or during any given meal, but study after study has shown this idea to be false. Most people do not do a very good job of estimating their caloric intake.

If you are serious about wanting to lose weight then you have to take responsibility for what you’re eating. However, if you don’t know how many calories are in your food, then how can you keep track of what you’re eating? The answer is that you can’t. But you can’t use that as an excuse to eat whatever you want. You need to find a way to keep track, and a weight loss calorie counter is the way to do it.

You can get a calorie counter book, get an app, or go online to find the information you need. It’s easier than ever to find the calorie content of just about every food, but that also means there are no more excuses. None of these options will work unless you make use of them.

Another benefit of calorie counters is that you can easily compare foods before you eat them. As we pointed out earlier, people are not very good at estimating calories, so you are sure to find a few surprises when looking up various foods. However, it’s much better to be surprised at the facts than it is to assume you’re eating right when you’re really not. So, grab a weight loss calorie counter now and you will be pleasantly surprised at the results you see.

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Trying to lose weight is a tricky proposition. There have been countless fad diets in the past, and it seems as though several new ones are thrust onto the market every day. This can make it all too confusing to figure out what makes for a healthy eating weight loss plan. Some diets claim you can shed pounds by eating only one or two “magic” foods; others say you can eat all the fat and protein you want, as long as you don’t eat any carbohydrates; still others say you have to eat at certain times and follow strange eating rituals to lose weight. It’s enough to confuse anybody.

It is true that some diets really do work, but their ability to get rid of extra weight shouldn’t be the only consideration when deciding which one to follow. You also need to consider how healthy they are. Let’s face it, you could lose a lot of weight by not eating anything at all–by literally starving yourself–but nobody would say that starvation is healthy.

Something a lot of people seem to forget is that there is no need to go by what somebody else says is the best diet. After all, we are all different, and what works for one person may not work for you. If you have the time and resources, you can develop your own healthy eating weight loss plan. This will take a bit of work, and you will have to have a good idea of what foods you should be eating, and which ones to avoid. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons so many people choose to follow a pre-made diet plan. There’s nothing wrong with doing it that way, as long as you can be reasonably assured that the diet you want to follow is healthy.

If there is such a thing as a golden rule of weight loss, it’s this: you can only lose weight when you burn more calories than you take in. All diets that work simply use some variation of food and exercise to accomplish this goal. You can do the same thing by knowing how many calories are in the foods you eat, and how many calories you burn doing various exercises. To be fair, it’s not always easy to keep track of all of this, so following a healthy eating weight loss plan can simplify the process. This way you can follow it, and assume that the calorie calculations have already been made for you.

If you are only a little bit overweight, and in pretty good health, then you may not have to invest in a full-blown diet plan. Instead, you may be able to get away with making a few small adjustments to your current diet. On the other hand, if you are several pounds overweight, or aren’t as healthy as you would like to be then a healthy eating weight loss plan that was created by somebody with credentials makes a lot more sense.

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