The Real Reason You’re Obsessed With Food

One of the statements I hear most frequently from Parsley Health members and private clients is: “I’m addicted to carbs, chocolate… (insert your vice of choice). I just can’t control myself when it’s around.”

This is almost always followed by a question: “Do you have any tips that can help me stop feeling so crazy around food?”

I have many tips, most of which have nothing to do with food, because the truth is: your obsession with food has nothing to do with food.

Instead, your obsession with food is directly related to what you think about food and your body.

It’s easy to think that food is the problem because it’s tangible, and tempting, but the reason you feel out of control around bread, sugar, chocolate or any other food is due to diet mentality – categorizing food as good or bad, and eating for weight loss.

Eating carbs, chocolate, or any other food only becomes a problem when we categorize them as bad and create categories of the things we should and shouldn’t be eating.

The more you try to control what you what you eat, the more you’ll crave the foods you’ve labeled as bad. Similarly, the more you try to control the size of your body, the more you’ll feel out of control around food. It’s a double edged sword.

How Can We Fix Our Obsession With Food?

1. Eat food that makes you feel nourished, satisfied and well, instead of following general dieting advice. Every body is different – what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for all.
2. Eat well because you care about your health and well-being, not to change your outward appearance.
3. Stop trying to control your weight, and learn to accept your body at the weight it settles upon naturally, without extreme dieting or exercising.

When we learn to take care of ourselves for reasons other than weight loss, and stop trying to control our bodies, our obsession with food naturally starts to fall away and food becomes much less important.