Feeding
If you try them, even just a bite, you won’t be able to stop eating. They are triggers and you unleash a series of reactions that lead you to search more and more.
By Maria Corisco
April 20, 2024 / 07:30
“When you make pop there is no stop” “Can’t you just eat one?” Surely you remember these slogans about chips and snacks… and surely you have found yourself in that same situation more than once: you propose to take just one risketo, or try just one ounce of chocolate, or simply scrape up the remains of the ice cream from your son… and from there you have freed the monster: you can no longer stop eating. You have let yourself be carried away by the power of trigger foods.
Trigger foods are triggers. In their clinical meaning, they refer to those that can trigger specific symptoms in people with food sensitivities or particular medical conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome or migraines. But, “in the context of diets and emotional eating, a trigger food is one that triggers a compulsive or uncontrolled response which causes you to lose control over your consumption and have the need to continue eating more of that food,” explains the psychologist Esther Cantos.
What are trigger foods?
Although each person has their own trigger foods, in general they all share a series of characteristics: they are highly processed, rich in fats, refined sugars and additives, and have a high calorie content but low nutritional value. Some of the most common trigger foods in the context of emotional hunger include:
Sweets. Such as chocolates, candies, cakes, cookies and other baked goods. “The sugar and simple carbohydrates present in these foods have the ability to activate areas of the brain related to reward and pleasure, which can provide a temporary feeling of emotional relief,” says the expert.
Fast food and fried foods. Foods such as hamburgers, French fries, pizzas and other foods high in saturated fat and calories. This combination of fats, salt and sugars present is rarely seen in natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, meats or fish; “Real” food may be high in fat or carbohydrates, but they are usually not high in both. And it is this combination that can trigger emotional responses and overeating behaviors.
Highly processed foods. Highly processed food products, such as salty snacks, packaged snacks, convenience foods, and frozen meals. “They often contain additives, preservatives and other ingredients that can have an impact on mood and eating behavior.”
Sugary drinks and soft drinks. Soft drinks, fruit juices with added sugars and energy drinks. The high sugar content in these drinks can provide a temporary boost of energy and improve mood, but it can also lead to uncontrolled eating behaviors.
Comfort foods. Some foods, such as macaroni and cheese, ice cream, chicken soup… are considered “comforting” due to positive emotional associations. These foods can be consumed in excess as a way of coping with stress, anxiety or other emotions. negative.
Why are these trigger foods?
As you will see, there is no trigger in eating a leaf of lettuce, a carrot or a medallion of hake, and there is, however, in the temptation of chips, chocolates, sweets, pizzas, ice creams, jelly beans… “These foods can activate certain areas of the brain related to reward and pleasure, which can lead to compulsive or addictive eating behaviors in some people.” Consuming them “can trigger a cycle of emotional eating, in which Food as a way to cope with stress, anxiety or negative emotions. This can lead to overeating, feelings of guilt and remorse, and difficulties maintaining a balanced and healthy diet.”
These triggers find their full meaning in the context of restrictive diets. You may have controlled what you eat for days, or weeks, and tried to erase from your mind the memory of all those foods that are unhealthy. And, after having a salad for dinner while your family ate pizza, you think that it’s okay to try the last bit that’s left over and that you’re going to throw away. Overall, it’s just a small piece. But you eat it and suddenly you see yourself raiding the fridge or pantry in search of more foods that give you immediate pleasure. The trigger has done its job.
How not to pull the trigger
The doctor Ashley Gearhardt, a clinical psychologist and associate professor in the department of psychology at the University of Michigan, who has helped develop the Yale Food Addiction Scale—a survey used to determine whether a person displays signs of addictive behavior towards food-, gives the following recommendations to help limit the consumption of this type of food.
Keep a diary of what you eat: This way it will be easier for you to identify the foods that have the greatest appeal, those that cause intense cravings and that you cannot stop eating once you try them.
Get rid of temptation: Try not to have those foods at home, and stock up on other alternatives that you also like, but that don’t have that power over you. while stocking your refrigerator and pantry with healthier alternatives you like, she said.
Record the triggers that lead you to binge eating: These can be emotions such as stress, boredom and loneliness. Or maybe the bakery you pass by three times a week. Make a plan to manage those triggers, such as choosing another path, for example, or using non-food activities to relieve stress and boredom.
Don’t skip meals: Hunger can trigger cravings that lead to decisions you’ll later regret. ready to be published