The End of Overeating

June 11, 2009
When you've had a bad day, most folks don't reach for carrots or broccoli to feel good. Really, when was the last time you watched a sitcom and the desperate housewife came home, cracked open a package of carrots and chomped down to drown out her frustrations?


According to a multi-nation survey of more than 10,000 people conducted by Synovate and reported this month in USA Today, 45 percent of Americans turn to junk food to "feel good" and 44 percent of us like the taste of fast food too much to give it up. These statistics aren't surprising if you've read or listened to Dr. David Kessler.

His book, "The End of Overeating" features a cover photo of carrots and carrot cake. Which one would you go for when you're feeling down? I'll bet the carrot cake. But why? One reason is we're biologically geared up to fall in love with sugar, fat and salt. When we get all three layered in a creamy slathering mix that melts in our mouth, most of us will finish the food wanting more and recalling how good we felt after eating it.

Our food industry pushes roughly $333 billion into the economy and knows this. According to Kessler's book, United Stated Department of Agriculture data shows our per capita fat consumption is up 63 percent over the past 33 years. And you thought you were diligently eating low-fat food.

Sugars and sweeteners are up 19 percent, and grain consumption 43 percent. While only 8 percent of American women, who tend to eat healthier than men, are consuming the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day needed to promote health.

Although the food industry now is working overtime to create healthy menu options and convenience products, these aren't the ones we reach for under stress. Instead, we tend to go for the traditional thick monster burger, mac and cheese, nachos, pizza, ice cream, cookies or cheesecake. Foods high in fat, salt, sugar and, yes, comfort.

When we continually treat stress by rewarding ourselves with highly palatable food that also is high in calories, we're likely to gain weight, driving up our risk for chronic disease. We know this. So how can we reign in a treat and reward system that seems to push us toward chronic disease?

Here are some suggestions:

Clean out the pantry. Make sure you dump the high-calorie comfort foods you overeat when you feel bad. Replace them with healthy options you've never had a love affair with. Like an bad relationship, you've got to cut the cord, move on, and don't look back.

Move the healthy food you're supposed to reach for when your tired, hungry, anxious or angry, or lonely front and center in the fridge or pantry. When we're not thinking we tend to eat what we see first. Make sure the food you need to eat more of is out on the counter, and at eye level in the pantry or fridge. Put this food on your desk and offer it to coworkers as treats and to your kids as rewards. Seriously, work against the advertisers and make stuff like apple slices and green tea a treat.

Find some calorie-free fun like a good laugh, a riddle, walking with a friend, good music on the way home from work, a quick comedy clip from YouTube instead of a calorie-laden pick-me-up. Music, humor and activity can elicit a feel-good response. You'll immediately feel better without the guilt. By doing something different in response to your emotions you can create a new reward system aimed at making you feel better for life.