Break the Binge-Eating Spell! How to Stop Being Hypnotized By Food

Ice cream…chocolate chip cookie…éclair…You’re getting drowsy…drowsy…

There’s no doubt that the sight or smell of certain go-to comfort foods has a strong hypnotic effect on your thinking. And this effect isn’t just mental.

When, for example, you see an image of a bacon double-cheeseburger, with melted cheese oozing out of a toasted bun, your mind begins to taste that burger, sending off strong signals to your body.

You’re probably unaware of the increase in your saliva, gastric acid, blood sugar and hunger hormones, and the release of the feel-good chemical dopamine in your brain.

In a Zen sense, you have become one with that burger.

So what do we call it when your mind and body are in the throes of a gastronomic ecstatic moment? That all-too-familiar, gotta-have-it feeling is often referred to as a craving, longing, compulsion, or even addiction — and yes, it’s true that certain highly sugary, fatty, salty foods can actually become addictive.

But what can you do when these images assault your eyes, nose and rational thinking, and when you’re overcome with crippling desire? When your rational intentions to lose weight are beginning to wither?

For starters, you can learn to outsmart your distorted perceptions and judgments. You can begin with these warnings:

Beware of the gastronomic fog

Remember that when it comes to your comfort foods — those delicious foods you’ve grown so fond of — your mind and body can and will conspire against you.

Excerpted from nydailynews.com

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