Easter is incoming – another lovely break to enjoy some food by the name of chocolate. Bring it on! I don’t know about you, but Easter chocolate tastes way better than your normal everyday bar. Or that may be just a matter of opinion.
It always amazes me how the way we feel contributes so much to what we eat. Whether it’s the PMT munchies, the bad day carbs, or the celebratory birthday cake, it all comes down to food.
How and what we eat plays such a big part in our mental and physical health. What we put in affects what we get out. We all know that we should eat well, with highly nutritious, vitamin enriched fruit and veg, shedloads of water, and less sugar. For some this is so much easier than for others, and our mindset plays a big part in this.
We celebrate achievements with takeaways and meals out. Daily treats during lockdown became a bit of a thing, or in my house just something to do. So why do we get stuck repeatedly going back to what doesn’t do us any good? Why do we sometimes crave high-fat, high-sugar, quick carbs over the gracious, shiny apple?
The feel-good factor
Well, it’s all down to brain chemicals and habits. Our brain can be so very lazy and will always opt for the quick fix, especially if it requires glucose and we’ve been starving it of that. But also, eating makes us feel good. We get serotonin when we eat, especially if we’re happily enjoying food with others. We also get dopamine – this chemical is released as a reward and so makes us feel really good. So that’s what we seek: a quick fix and a quick feel-good factor to get the brain happy.
It doesn’t always support us though, especially if we’re stuck in a negative food cycle and really don’t know how to change it. Increasing our serotonin levels can help. Finding things non-food related to do can really support our brain in seeking happy hormones, but also in producing serotonin. A constant flow of serotonin can help us to make better choices and keep us intellectually in control. Also, focus on how you’ll feel after you have eaten. It can really assist you in making better choices and tapping into how eating feels, because if it doesn’t feel good, we’re more inclined to change it.
If you need support with your eating habits or any other negative situations, get in touch. Hummingbird Hypnotherapy offers a FREE initial consultation, which is available via Zoom call and also, fingers crossed, face to face from the 12 April 2021.
www.hummingbirdhypnotherapy.co.uk
WORDS Nicole Woodcock
