Hungry for More?

Did you know that only one aspect of eating is reaching satiety? Most of our brains are prewired to seek pleasure from eating and to elevate serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin, often referred to as the “happy” neurotransmitter, plays a vital role in our food intake and level of happiness. Many of my patients who have experienced a lack of serotonin have suffered from depression, eating disorders, and anxiety disorders. Some studies reveal that patients who develop an eating disorder are genetically predisposed to have more significant carbohydrate cravings which could be due to a serotonin deficiency. Metaphorically speaking, if your cup is half full you may be searching for a mood elevator via your food intake. This theory helps one understand the etiology for emotional eating and it is not all about your lack of self-control or willpower.

Carbohydrates, especially simple carbohydrates (i.e., desserts) tend to soothe or decrease anxiety, stress, and depression. No wonder it is not uncommon to be “hungry for more” and not feel satiated or a sense of happiness. If you factor tryptophan into the mix, which is a key amino acid in the creation of serotonin, without tryptophan serotonin cannot be produced. Perhaps this is why we enjoy our Thanksgiving feast or a turkey sandwich since turkey has high concentrations of tryptophan. This is also the reason that many who struggle with disordered eating or formal eating disorders are unable to make progress with just anti-depressants alone, but need to have adequate and balanced nutrition and psychotherapy.

Have you ever felt your mouth start watering at the smell or sight of your mother’s home cooking? I can recall the aromas of my mother’s pot roast with vegetables roasting in the oven and peach cobbler which perfumed our kitchen and was often a Sunday staple. According to Dr. Laura Pawlak, author of the book Hungry Brain our brains are hardwired to focus not only on survival, but are a “pleasure-seeking circuitry” of dopamine-producing neurons constantly primed for activation by a sign of food such as the sight, scent, or memory. This reaction occurs due to the fact that it triggers the release of key “pleasurable” neurotransmitters such as dopamine. Research shows that there are chemical similarities between overeating and addictions like substance abuse and gambling. Cross addiction is very common in food addiction and other addictive disorders such as alcohol abuse.

Is it manageable and treatable and can you overcome these cravings for more food and binge episodes? Absolutely! In fact, I have observed significant progress when one seeks out the following treatment to address emotional eating, disordered eating, and eating disorders:

• Complete a nutritional analysis and assessment with a registered and licensed dietitian.
• Do an emotional eating assessment online at Psychology Today.
• Seek out an intake and assessment with a licensed mental health professional who specializes in disordered eating or eating disorders and complete a comprehensive psychological test battery.
• Pursue a psychiatric assessment to see if you are a candidate for medication management.
• Learn the techniques of normalized eating from my book Body Esteem: Piece of Cake and Peace of Mind.

Next time you experience cravings in lieu of being self-punitive and chastising yourself because you feel you have poor impulse control, examine the psychological (i.e., stress or anger) or physical symptoms (i.e., deprivation from restrictive dieting) as to why you are “hungry for more”. I believe that you can overcome emotional eating and learn to manage your food intake as you are experiencing an endorphin effect like the pleasure induced hormone that you receive from eating as you reach satiety. You’ve got this! I am absolutely confident in your ability to normalize your caloric intake because I have seen remarkable results with our patient population.