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Binge Eating: Your Behavior or Your Brain?
A neurochemical approach can bring an added dimension to work on binge eating disorder.
A few years ago, I received an email from a woman at the Diabetes Council. She wanted me to evaluate a compilation of tips and strategies by 54 experts on stopping binge-eating.
Most of the experts looked at binge eating from a psychological and behavioral viewpoint, and many of the same tips came up over and over.
Tips that emerged repeatedly tended to be about eating mindfully: staying present, paying attention to the meal, not watching TV, eating while seated, putting food on a plate, slowing down, breathing slowly and deeply.
Several experts added a physiological component — keeping glucose levels even. Those practitioners were typically RD’s. They advised eating at regular intervals, eating a balanced diet, not skipping meals, and not dieting too strictly. That was to prevent ravenous hunger and glucose drops that can lead to bingeing.
A few others also warned against judging foods as good or bad. They suggested “legalizing” all foods and eating favorite foods in moderation.
Obviously, these factors are important, which is why virtually every expert offered tips that were similar to those of the…
