With Christmas memories fading fast we find ourselves confronted with another new year to embrace.  Does that fill you with hope and anticipation or do you feel a little gloomy at the thought of 3 more months until spring?  As I asked last year, I ask again this year, did you make any New Year Resolutions?  Did any of these have to do with food and drink?  If so – are you still sticking to them?  With all of these things in mind let’s look at a targeted area of comfort eating.  Christmas is one of the top excuses that we use to overindulge both in the amount and type of food that we eat.  Unfortunately the 2 – 3 week Christmas period is just long enough to get us ‘used to’ or back into the cycle of comfort eating. 

So to blow those cobwebs away - open a window, pour yourself a cleansing tea blend and take a deep breath – as we look together at some ways to break the cycle of comfort eating should you be struggling with that at this time.

Winter is the time of the year we are most likely to suffer the ‘blues’ and/or depression.  Many people turn to food to manage how they are feeling. Unfortunately, what we call 'comfort food' is usually loaded with saturated fats and sugary carbohydrates. Eating too much of these feel-good foods can cause weight gain, which in turn makes us feel ashamed of our bodies as in a typical catch 22 situation these feelings, of course, can have an effect on our moods

Eat mindfully

The first step toward breaking the food-mood cycle is to take a few days and begin to eat mindfully. In our fast-paced, multitasking culture, we are usually in a rush, with multiple family and job responsibilities. We may eat quickly to manage stress, but we rarely eat mindfully, unless it is a 'special' occasion. It only takes a few additional minutes to eat in a more relaxed way. Turn off the TV, put down the laptops and phones, and pay attention to the texture, taste and aroma of your food.  Cooking from scratch helps to emphasize this and encourages the stimulation of your senses to help with digestion too.

Don't over-restrict 
True to the Fit For Life principle overly restrictive dieting can lead to an all-or-nothing attitude with food, and over time, severe hunger can lead to binge eating. Portion control solves a lot of this.   Even eating some of the things you crave but keeping the portion small is better than not allowing yourself any and then binging out excessively later when you can ‘hold out’ no longer.

Assess youorself
I would guess that you don’t really need me to tell you what you should be doing and that you have a good idea of what your food issues are in general. But why not take a few days to track what you eat and why in a food diary, and you will probably understand yourself better. For example, if you are on a severely restrictive diet and skipping breakfast, you’ll realise that your 11:00 a.m. donut binge in the staff lounge is actually a normal response to extreme hunger. Or you might notice that you turn to your good friends Ben and Jerry at night, especially after a loss or disappointment.  Here’s a little chart that might help you to keep a record of your eating habits.  Continue with this until you feel you are back in control.

Failing to plan
You’ve heard me say this many times before if you want different results then you must do something different!  If you want to change your relationship with food, you’ll need to change your environment. Use your food diary (see above) to determine whether you need to clean house. Literally. packs of biscuits, bags of crisps and tubs of full-fat ice cream must go (don’t tell yourself that you have to eat them all first!) if you’ve identified them as unhealthy mood managers. Make snacking easy  on yourself: Cut up celery, carrots and peppers, or anything else you like,  and keep them toward the front of the fridge, not in the vegetable drawer.

New nood-management strategy
Get active 
Come on you knew that this would be in here somewhere!  Now that we have looked at eliminating food as your mood manager, identify other techniques that work for you. Regular exercise improves mood overall. If you’re feeling sad or anxious, try a short burst of any physical activity, like taking a short walk. Many women climb some stairs to burn calories and release tension. Keep a pair of trainers at the office so that there are fewer barriers to getting moving at work.  Find something that works for you and put a stop to excuses!

Change your music
Music is one of the most powerful mood changers. In fact, researchers conducting psychological experiments often use mournful music to create sad moods in volunteers. Conversely, you can use your favorite dance music or popular music from your teenage years to boost your mood. Have fun while you create some upbeat playlists. There may well be times when you want to listen to the blues or a violin symphony to fully experience your sadness. But for the purposes of this exercise, turn on the cheerful music only!

Accepting the things you cannot change
We sometimes use food because we want to eliminate negative moods quickly, but sometimes it’s better to accept the situation. Whether you’re feeling sadness, anger or anxiety, try to identify the source of your low mood. If it is something you can change, sketch out new solutions. For example, if someone is getting under your skin – ask someone you trust to suggest ideas for ways that you could respond differently.  If, on the other hand, the situation is something you cannot change at this time, try to accept it.

Breathe deeply and often. Take time to relax your muscles, especially your head, shoulder and neck muscles. Visualise a pleasant scene. It’s also a good idea to try to remember the big picture - your values and goals - and work on a plan of acceptance, rather than avoidance. You may, for example, have a difficult job, but you and your family need the income.

It's so much more pleasurable with two
As Winnie The Pooh so delightfully pointed out – it’s so much friendlier with two.  A problem shared is  a problem halved!  Did you know people with similar problems created the earliest weight-control and other self-help groups because the medical field did not know how to help them. This is still somewhat true in the area of food and mood. Talking to other women (and men) who practice comfort eating can feel like a big support. You will feel connected and understood, and you may be able to share new techniques for mood management.

Boosst mood with the right food
Okay, sometimes food and mood should go together. It turns out it’s not just doughnuts that make us feel good.  There is growing evidence that the Mediterranean diet, with its emphasis on fruits, vegetables and olive oil, is associated with less depression over time and unlike doughnuts the feel good factor is not short lived!

A Spanish study of more than 10,000 people found that those who consumed a Mediterranean diet had a 30 percent lower risk of developing depression, even when the researchers controlled for other health habits and personality traits.

Similarly, the consumption of more omega 3 fats - found in foods like salmon, tuna, herring, and walnuts, is associated with less depressed mood.

As always get professional help if you don’t seem to be getting anywhere by yourself – don’t suffer in silence and don’t think you are the only one!

Here’s wishing you all the very best of health for 2012!

Julie