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A food craving is an intense and persistent desire for a food, but that craving isn’t always for something delicious. It can also be caused by a nutritional deficiency, boredom, or self-imposed food restrictions. [4] A food addiction is one step beyond, including not only intense cravings but also exhibiting a loss of control of eating ...
- Why stress causes people to overeat - Harvard Health
Epinephrine helps trigger the body's fight-or-flight...
- Why stress causes people to overeat - Harvard Health
- Anxiety and eating disorders: The connection
- How does anxiety affect eating disorders?
- Symptoms of an anxiety disorder
- Eating disorders that can co-occur with anxiety
- Treatments for anxiety and eating disorders
- Seeking help for anxiety and eating disorders
- The bottom line
Food is, of course, a necessity for life.
For some people, food offers more than an essential source of fuel. If you enjoy sitting down to eat with loved ones or exploring new cuisines while traveling, for example, you might also consider food a source of pleasure. Some people even bake or cook as a way to ease tension and relax.
But if you live with an eating disorder, or a pattern of disordered eating habits, you might find that food prompts feelings of anxiety instead.
The signs and symptoms of eating disorders can depend on the type of eating disorder. Not to mention, they can vary from person to person. That said, they generally involve an extreme focus on food and eating habits, along with some kind of emotional distress related to food or eating.
Yet many people with eating disorders also live with anxiety that goes beyond these feelings of food-related distress. As a matter of fact, as many as two-thirds of people with eating disorders also have an anxiety disorder at some point in life.
Below, we’ll explore the link between anxiety and eating disorders and offer some guidance on finding support.
Eating disorders and anxiety have something of a complex relationship.
While it’s true they commonly occur together and involve some overlapping symptoms, neither directly causes the other. Eating disorders also don’t begin solely as an attempt to maintain control over challenging, painful, or unknown circumstances — though a need for control can absolutely play a part.
Many people living with both conditions notice symptoms of anxiety first, before symptoms of the eating disorder begin. Yet that doesn’t mean anxiety causes eating disorders — after all, not everyone who lives with anxiety will feel distress around food, or develop disordered eating habits.
Research from 2021 does suggest, however, that a co-occurring anxiety disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may:
•help maintain symptoms and behaviors associated with eating disorders
•lead to more severe symptoms over time
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
This condition involves extreme, persistent, and overwhelming feelings of worry about everyday things and activities that don’t pose an actual threat to your safety. Anxiety can eventually lead you to avoid any circumstances that trigger these feelings in order to help ease your distress. Other key signs of GAD include: •feelings of restlessness, irritability, and a sense of being on edge •sleep issues, including fatigue and insomnia •“brain fog,” or difficulty concentrating or remembering things •physical symptoms, including stomach distress, muscle tension, and headaches
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
OCD involves at least one of two main components, but usually both: •Obsessions, or frequent, persistent, and unwanted urges, thoughts, or mental images •Compulsions, or repeated mental or physical actions performed to help suppress obsessions, keep them from coming true, and reduce the distress they cause With OCD, these obsessions and compulsions: •cause anxiety and other emotional distress •take up a lot of time each day (more than an hour or two) •affect your regular routine, daily life, and relationships Learn more about the difference between obsessions and compulsions. According to the most recent edition of the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (DSM-5), OCD no longer falls into the category of anxiety disorders. The manual lists it separately. That said, many experts still consider OCD and anxiety closely related. Research exploring the link between anxiety and eating disorders also tends to include both OCD and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), since previous editions of the DSM did include these as anxiety conditions.
Phobias
A specific phobia involves feelings of extreme fear and anxiety around a specific situation, animal, or object. You might experience physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety when you: •encounter what you’re afraid of •think about it •hear it or see a picture of it Eventually, these feelings of anxiety might lead you to avoid any situation where you might come across the object of your phobia. A phobia that involves something very common — cars, dogs, clocks, or trees — can often make it difficult to navigate everyday life. The DSM-5 recognizes 5 types of phobias: •animal phobias •natural environment phobias •injury, blood, or medical procedure phobias •situational phobias •other phobias Learn more about specific phobias. Two phobias are diagnosed as separate mental health conditions: •Social phobia (social anxiety) refers to a fear of social situations that might trigger negative judgment or criticism. •Agoraphobia involves a fear of situations and places that leave you feeling trapped and helpless.
Again, eating disorders can show up differently from person to person. That means you could have an eating disorder even if your symptoms don’t exactly align with these criteria.
Keep in mind, too, that people of any gender and body size or shape can experience any eating disorder.
Both anxiety and eating disorders can improve with treatment and support.
Treatment typically involves some combination of:
•Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This approach helps you learn to recognize and address unwanted and unhelpful emotions and behaviors related to food and eating, along with other fears and worries. Experts recognize exposure therapy, a subtype of CBT, as an effective approach for both anxiety and eating disorders.
•Family-based therapy. Therapists generally recommend involving family members in treatment. For parents of children with ARFID, a family-centered program may help parents and children work through the complications of the eating disorder.
•Medications. Medications, including fluoxetine (Prozac), can be helpful for eating disorders. Medications for co-occurring anxiety conditions might include:
•benzodiazepines, a type of sedative, such as alprazolam (Xanax) and lorazepam (Ativan), which may carry a risk of dependence
If you think you or your child could have an eating disorder, it’s important to seek treatment sooner rather than later.
Keep in mind that it’s always worth getting support, even if the disordered eating patterns you’ve noticed don’t fully meet the diagnostic criteria for a specific eating disorder.
Without treatment, eating disorders often get worse over time, and they can have serious health consequences. Even if they don’t affect your physical health right away, they can still cause ongoing emotional distress that affects your everyday life and relationships.
Treatment is often successful, but overcoming an eating disorder generally does require professional help.
Therapy can offer a good place to start addressing negative or unwanted emotions around food and eating and learn helpful strategies to cope with anxiety and distress. That said, it often requires a team of trained, supportive experts to work toward eating disorder recovery.
You can get support by contacting:
If you have anxiety about food, you’re not alone. Know, though, that both anxiety and eating disorders can improve with the right treatment.
There’s no denying that recovery is a process. It can take time and effort. But by reaching out to ask for help, you’re taking an important first step — not just toward healing, but also toward regaining control of difficult or painful emotions.
Aug 28, 2020 · cheese, cured meats, and other fermented foods that contain the neurotransmitter histamine. caffeine, which can disrupt sleep and worsen anxiety symptoms. trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils ...
May 16, 2023 · Soda: Sparkling water with a squeeze of fruit juice or a slice of orange can replace a craving for soda. It provides a similar feeling to soda but has fewer calories and less sugar. Cheese: Try ...
Feb 15, 2021 · Epinephrine helps trigger the body's fight-or-flight response, a revved-up physiological state that temporarily puts eating on hold. But if stress persists, it's a different story. The adrenal glands release another hormone called cortisol, and cortisol increases appetite and may also ramp up motivation in general, including the motivation to eat.
- hhp_info@health.harvard.edu
Oct 19, 2023 · eating slowly. taking small bites and savoring each one. keeping a food log and thinking about what you’re eating. If curbing the urge for emotional eating is too difficult, you may be able to ...
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Oct 11, 2020 · Consider amino acid support by contacting a specialist in this field. Keep addictive foods out of the home and avoid those restaurants. Identify foods that precede or trigger your cravings, and ...
