by roundcoconut » Wed May 04, 2016 3:15 pm
My first thought on the topic of binge eating (and food addictions) is that utter abstinence from trigger foods is not the absolute, only answer. It may be one answer, and a very good one for many people, but not the only one.
So, for example, Chef AJ (is wonderful) has discussed her food addictions at great length and she considers sugars, flours, nuts, etc. to be unsafe across the board for her. If she eats these foods on a Monday, she will be in addict mode on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, trying to procure more off-plan food. (Or in white knuckle mode, trying to let the relapse-moment pass.)
So, practicing abstinence from trigger foods altogether can be a very good solution for people.
For me, while I have abstained from sugars and flours at various times during my plant-based eating, i've noticed that I can eat these foods just fine if I have safeguards in place. Like, bread is weird, and I would never buy a loaf of bread thinking, "I will just eat four slices today" -- I wouldn't do well with that scenario.
But I commonly order a veggie sandwich -- maybe four days a week -- at a little coffee shop in my town, because it would be impossible for me to go back for seconds, thirds, or fourths. In other words, I have no binge response to bread (which is actual commercial rye and may very well not be a perfect, whole grain, or no oil food! <GASP!>) when i eat that bread as part of a sandwich, in public (meaning, not terribly quickly), in a situation where additional portions are for all intents and purposes impossible.
I have a siimilarly weird response to sugar, but can have a sweetened beverage once every couple of weeks (like a small soy latte) because all the same rules apply. One latte this week, doesn't lead to two next week, or four the week after.
So, I just want to mention that people may not have to completely abstain from processed foods, who wish to clear old binge patterns. Some people -- who are very prone to food addictions -- may find the above safeguards to be not enough. But others may find them a good strategy.
That's one thought for now! Anyone else on how to reverse engineer your environment, to make it totally safe against binge patterns?