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Doctors and nutritionists agree that the habit of snacking between meals is bad for health and figure. And yet, some, knowing it perfectly well, cannot help themselves. Where does this need come from and how to deal with it?
“At half past seven in the evening, my youngest son gets up from the table … and I finish eating the remaining pasta behind him,” admits 35-year-old Alexandra. – Then I intercept a circle of sausage, a cucumber, a crust of bread … My husband comes at about nine, and we have dinner. After washing the dishes, I eat a slice of chocolate, and then sometimes a piece of cheese at night. She also admits that she often goes to the buffet at work. “But every time I feel ashamed! You could say snacking is eating away at my life,” she complains, smiling shyly.
I am distracted from unpleasant thoughts
Snacking helps to distract from too strong experiences. “It’s a defense mechanism,” explains clinical psychologist Tatyana Voskresenskaya. “The stronger the anxiety, the more likely we are to respond to it with a lot of food.” But why do we go to the refrigerator instead of looking for relaxation, for example, on a gym mat? “Three values are most prominent in Western society: money, sex, and food,” says psychotherapist Frédéric Fanget. “And the latter is almost always the most accessible of the three.”
Family habits affect me
“The habit of constantly“ biting ”in an adult could have arisen due to the fact that in childhood his parents forbade certain foods to him,” says Frederic Fange. “After all, we all often want exactly what we were not given.” Tatyana Voskresenskaya adds that “some mothers literally teach their children to eat any difficulties. Ripped off your knee? Hold the candy! Are you sad? Here’s a cake for you.” It is not surprising that with such a childhood experience, many, and as adults, seek the usual solace in food.
Vera, 29 years old, bibliographer
“When, at the request of my therapist, I described the pleasure I found in food, he asked: “What other ways do you have to please yourself?” And then I could not find anything to answer … I had to admit that I had no other ways. My task was to find other ways. I’m still not very good at it: it’s hard to change a technique that has worked for 29 years. But there are already some successes. Today in my “arsenal of simple pleasures” there are several options: a warm bath, a good comedy, a conversation with a friend … “
I make up for the lack of love
“Mother’s milk for a baby is not only food, but also like love that fills him,” continues Tatyana Voskresenskaya. “Growing up, we unconsciously strive to reproduce this feeling of the fullness of being, stuffing our mouths full. The taste of food is associated with the taste of life.”
Anyone who lacks the feeling of love and security that he experienced in childhood, chooses primarily dough products, pastries or sandwiches, says nutritionist Florence Pujol. “The soft texture brings back the feeling of sucking on the mother’s breast. And when we gnaw on every little thing, such as seeds, chips, sweets, the measured movements with which we bring our hand to our mouth resemble maternal motion sickness, ”he says. It turns out that snacking is a trick of adults who lack tenderness and care.
What to do?
Define the problem
Psychotherapist Frédéric Fanget believes that it is important to be aware of your tendency to snack, but not to confuse this habit with bulimia – “when a person has a strong need to eat, without disassembling the taste, a large amount of food in a short period of time”, or hyperphagia – “consumption of a very large amount of food at one time, which is observed in obese people. These two cases require medical attention.
stop worrying
“Snacks can be afforded,” Tatyana Voskresenskaya is convinced. Let’s listen to our motives: do not be tempted “for the company” or because there is still food left and it “should” be eaten. But if we are really hungry and are able to stop when we feel full, then everything is in order.
Explore your feelings
The passion for snacking manifests itself when we are overwhelmed by emotions. “Instead of escaping from them, you need to learn to be aware of them,” recommends nutritionist Florence Pujol. Let’s explore these feelings. What are we trying to avoid when we chew something? Observation will help us be more attentive to what worries us.