Do You Have an Insatiable Appetite for Certain Foods From Time to Time?

The jury is out as to if I’m part squirrel or not for my love of nuts.

Macadamias, pistachios and pecans – in that order…are my go to snacks. 

They are like “Lays” potato chips to me – I can’t eat just one…or 12.

I once ate 5 lbs of macadamia nuts a friend sent from Hawaii in under a week. 

That same week I had my annual gyn exam and had to be weighed. 

Oops!

When I tried to explain my weight increase I was handed a referral for an eating disorder clinic.

Not helpful!

The insatiable nut appetite has a much deeper root in coping and safety for this squirrel. 

In my podcast with Ali Shapiro, the host of the Insatiable Podcast & creator of the program Truce with Food, Ali cracks the case on my nut addiction (Listen HERE to find out what’s at the root of me identifying as a squirrel🐿).

According to Ali most therapy, eating disorder programs and intuitive eating approaches are not addressing the root issue that is NOT food related.

Food is the tool the body chooses to feel safe and secure. 

There are four emotional roots at the “TAIL” end of each insatiable food. 

TAIL – Tired, Anxious, Inadequate, Lonely.

Discovering which one you’re gravitating toward overcoming with food is the key. 

I don’t know about you but I could flux between all four in any given day!

Ali makes it a point to explain that “lonely” can also extend to not having your social needs met – like feeling alone while in a relationship or even surrounded by family or friends.

It was fascinating to hear Ali connect childhood experiences and how you feel in certain situations to your drive to keep eating. 

It’s not uncommon for me to hear women and men talk about food addictions that come up as they get older and the drive to eat certain things. 

The loss of “will power” is another common theme with age. 

Could it be the drop of progesterone and estrogens causing anxiety and the coping mechanism to feel safe is food?

Is the fatigue from juggling career, kids and possibly care of parents driving you to self soothe with food?

Or is it the climbing of the career ladder paired with peri-menopause and menopause hormone shifts that have you feeling less confident than in the past?

Perhaps you find yourself drifting from your partner or not fitting in with your family like you once did and the loneliness has you snacking more?

Maybe it’s a bit of all of the above and some deep rooted childhood patterns showing up as well. 

You are programmed to use food as a tool for safety.

Eating and digesting are parasympathetic relaxing signaling activities for the nervous system.

If you are not doing anything else to get your body in a chill mode during the day it has the potential to use food as a coping mechanism to get you into parasympathetic mode.

The same goes for situations in which your nervous system doesn’t feel “safe”.

In most cases this seems absurd until you get to the root of the issue. 

For example – many people find themselves overeating in certain situations like parties. 

Parties can bring up all kinds of “TAIL-end” things for your nervous system…

• T = Say you’re already tired and you’re obligated to go to the party = stressful for you
• A = Social anxiety of being at a party if you’re not a party person
• I = Feeling inadequate if you’re not at a place in life or career you’d like to be and someone asks the dreaded, “what do you do for work?”
• L = Seeming like you’re an outcast because you do not fit in with the crowd at the party

The key is identifying how you’re feeling, acknowledging it and finding a way besides food to re-assure yourself that you are safe. 

It may be useful to go back in time to find out when the food coping mechanism was created to fully understand it’s roots to deconstruct it for your nervous system. 

Once you’ve established the root cause for how you feel you can create new stories for your brain that are rooted in safety no matter what emotions and feelings pop up. 

I like Ali’s practical approach – Truce with Food.

Having used food to relieve stress most of my life I’ve found Ali’s tips simple and easy to follow. 

Being aware of the four main factors that provoke stress eating you can intervene when you feel these emotions coming to the surface. 

Hormone shifts with peri-menopause and menopause seem to heighten the nervous system’s need for security.

Drops in serotonin and dopamine have you hunting down foods you’d sworn off for years.

Lowered estradiol and progesterone keep you from focusing on meal prep and cook like you used to. 

It’s easy to feel defeated when you know what you need to do but something inside you is holding you back from taking care of you. 

Know you’re not alone and there’s a deeper reason here for why you can’t seem to put down the sweets, snacks or nuts. 

You can regain control!

Here’s to your health,

Dr. J

PS: Check out my podcast with Ali Shapiro HERE or head to Ali’s website and learn more about her programs – HERE.

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