I'm somewhere between veganism and raw foodism. Actually I have been 100% raw for the last few days.

Before I embarked on this journey I actually ate pretty healthy cooked food(loads of fruit/veg/lentils, very littel fast food etc) but due to depression I tended to binge on chocolate or biscuits for comfort.

Now, eating raw food, I still find the need to binge after the children are in bed, or sometimes at a stressful moment during the day. I find myself binging on bananas and dates -the sweetest things I can find in the cupboard!

Have any of you had similar experiences? Does it settle down? I know I can mix and match and don't have to adhere strictly to raw food, but I do have quite bad depression and have not had much success on antidepressants, so I'm really hoping as near to 100% raw may make a difference,
Dawn

The raw brownies Jen Rose post make a great binge food:
[www.rawfoodsupport.com]

I like binges. ;-)

Chocolate makes me happy, so I see no reason to stop eating it. Although I hardly eat any compared to the pre-raw days. Keep some raw beans handy to snack on for those stressful moments.

Take care,
Ian.

I know how it is humbug, don't beat yourself up. Seems like a comfort mechanism. I still do it often.

Eventually you'll get beyond it (probably). Do you have any spirtual practices.

I'd nix on the biscuits though. And if you're going to eat chocolate but some raw cacao beans and make some recipes.

If you must binge better to do it on the highest quality food you can find.

Binging on bananas and dates ain't so bad. Of course it's best never to overeat, so you might try combining the sweet fruits with just a little bit of nuts or seeds to keep down the overall quantity of food. Sometimes just a very small handful of nuts or seeds can put a stop to a sweet tooth binge pronto. Maybe try a snack of a date/almond combo - just a few instead of a lot. Then you could eat an orange afterward for a juicy filler.

Also you might try gradually moving your last snack to an earlier hour, and eating more fruit earlier in the day.

Something that cheers me up when I'm down is walking. There is actually much research now that shows that walking reduces depression. If you Google "walking, depression", you'll find a whole lot of information, starting with studies from the Mayo Clinic.

Good luck and best wishes, Ally

There are a few things I can think of that might help with binging:

- Take up a new hobby, or focus more on an old one, when you are bored. You may be able to replace the habit of binging by doing something more productive or at least more enjoyable in the long run.

- Eat when you like, but eat more slowly. Try to get as much taste out of each morsel of food as possible. The end result is that you may eat less and enjoy your food more!

- Identify the situation/emotions that are bothering you, and address why it is absurd that you should suffer in that situation. For example, if you are upset because someone called you a bad name, you could notice that they would have to be very deceived in their thinking to want to make you suffer by calling you something nasty. In other words, if someone berates you, they are either hurting you intentionally or unintentionally. In the case of the latter, they should be forgiven for their idiocy. In the case of the former, they are fools for wanting to inflict pain on another human being, and in this case they are also idiots (and as such should be forgiven).

Whew... hope that was of some help. Binging is not something that will always happen. I used to binge a lot. Now, not so much (it happens less, and less, and less....).

What are you hobbies Tom?

Thank you for these messages. Actually I do have an old hobby that I have started doing again recently, but I think part of the problem is that I can't do it much because of the small children I have! I have very little time for myself, so I snatch brief moments when I can secretly munch things without them seeing. Sounds absurd I know. That's the problem in the day anyway.

For the evenings, yes, I should concentrate on my hobby, but because I suffer from depression I find it hard to concentrate. Actually somewhere I read a suggestion that if you feel a need to binge, in fact you need to take a moment to focus on you (and as some of you have said, what is upsetting you). Wherever I read it it suggested sipping water and if possible doing some relaxation like yoga.

I might add more to this later, but have to stop now. Thanks again
Dawn

I have a lot of experience with binge eating.

I know now that binging is almost always because of an acidic body (and hypoglycemia, etc.) and/or candida or other microform overgrowth. You binge on bananas and dates because that's what the microforms want, and/or because your endcocrine system/blood sugar metabolism is out of whack.

Binging, and most depressions for that matter, are almost always because of a highly unbalanced body. Believe me, I've been through it. I'm not talking from a high horse like someone who has never experienced depression and binge/emotional eating.

Raw food doesn't solve the potential candida or blood sugar problem because most raw foodists gorge themselves on sugary things like bananas, dates, figs, and other highly sweet fruit, not to mention cacao beans which are just a drug.

(the craving for chocolate, by the way, is your adrenal system shouting for help - chocolate can act just like coffee but in sometimes subtler ways)

OK so it seems that even though bananas and dates are healthy, in excess (like everything) they are bad. Makes sense. What can I do to get my blood sugar/endocrine system sorted .. that doesn't involve spending a lot of money on a wierd and wonderful cure?

Dawn

You may need to eat more greens. That always helps me and then I don't get so hungry. Like others have said, occupy yourself with something you like to do for a hobby (hopefully away from the computer unless you write stories like I do.) It will keep your mind off of wanting to eat. Get carried away in your hobbies! hahaha

Good question Narz. My hobbies are actually my future and current career, and all related to music - practicing guitar, recording music, writing and arranging music.. There's no shortage of things for me to learn in music, and the more I learn the better I become!!

Good idea about greens. I will eat lots of spinach today. Also I'm looking forward to some more beans I've sprouted.

Last night though...! I'll tell you as it's almost funny. Although I don't buy crisps, when my little boy goes to parties he loves to eat them. So recently I bought them for when we went on a long journey. then, aware of how bad they were, and heavily into raw food and veganism, I didn't give them to him, but hid them away in the cupboard.

Until last night, when I ate two crisp sandwiches (4 pieces of bread and a packet of hula hoops).

so I'll continue to work on this binge thing.

Dawn

And you will succeed.

Regards,
Thomas

What kind of moozik are you into? (off topic, I know)

PG

I've noticed that we carry the same food habits that we had when we were on the SAD diet into our Raw diets...like if you over ate as a SAD eater you will still over eat even on a raw diet. I can totally relate to this. I think we need to (myself included) stop looking to food as our comfort and step away enough to realize that food is just nurishement and joy. Not something to satiate the spiritual needs inside of us. I know for me, the night time is the hardest for me...especially if I am watching a movie!! TV does not promote health.
My tricks are:
After dinner if you don't want to splurge on dessert BRUSH your TEETH
Plan ahead if you want dessert and make banana ice cream, or something like that.
Don't do anything while eating...no T.V., no reading...just be with your food and enjoy every bite.
STOP before you are full!
Meditate/Pray and fill your self up with energy/God's Love instead of food.

Hope that helps...

Jen Rose

"You must first unlearn the lies, and then you will have room for the truth"

Hello there,

First of all, don't be afraid to eat fruit, it will keep you feeling satisfied if you eat more fruit throughout the day actually. You might be bingeing simply because you haven't eaten enough during the day. But bingeing often has an emotional cause. You might want to examine what is going with your emotions and state of mind when you binge and see if you can find a pattern. Are you stressed, sad, bored, lonely, etc... Often, we use food to avoid these feelings. The first step to normalizing a relationship with food is allowing ourselves to feel the feelings we have a tendency to want to avoid.

All the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

humbug,

How many bananas do you need to eat to consider it a binge? It is not unusally for me to eat 700 calories worth of bananas (8 large bananas) in a regular meal.

Perhaps if you looked at your caloric intake in a day including your banana binge, you might find out that you didn't overeat bananas at all.

For me, when I ate cooked, I could easily eat a 1000 to 1500 calorie meal in a matter of 5 to 10 minutes. Now, if I eat a meal of 8 bananas, it will take 30 to 45 minutes, and only be 700 calories.

I have no willpower when it comes to food so I have to make sure my raw diet actually completely satisfies me, so I never have to fall back on my (non-existent) willpower.

Mixed greens, avocados, wheatgrass, bell peppers, coconut.... just some ideas for you. They work for me. Greens are very high in minerals - and lots of times a craving is really just a craving for minerals.

And when you do get an occasional craving, it's no sin to give in to it! This isn't supposed to be about guilt

Good luck!

Interestingly I didn't binge at all today. That was partly because I had eaten just about everything in the house, and with small children I can't just pop out to the shops on a whim.

In fact, I've been feeling less hungry. I didn't even eat breakfast today, but just drank water - very unusual for me. Then this evening I just had an apple.

For a banana binge I would probably eat up to 8, but have never eaten that many as bananas go very quickly in our house. Likewise, I try to make banana icecream as often as possible, but again, it goes very quickly. I'm going to stock up on dates and bananas tomorrow as I know at the weekend it is easier to fool yourself that you deserve unhealthy comfort foods.

All in all, I don't think I'm doing too badly. I've had a few biscuits and things I shouldn't this week, but I have been mostly raw and am still managing to keep off the tea and coffee that, a couple of weeks ago, I was drinking all day. As some of you have said, I am allowed to give in now and then.

Dawn

Dear humbug,

I just saw your last post. It seems you're feeling more positive today. Very good! I was concerned about you so I'd already written out the following, and I'll post it anyway just in case you find any of it helpful.

I agree with Bryan and Chilove about the fruit.

I'm concerned that in your last post you mention you are binging on other foods and even hiding food.

If you feel you're overeating, try to keep in mind that you're still an OK person. If you hide food like that, you are giving yourself a message that you're a bad person. Then it becomes a self-fulfillment prophecy - you have to do the "bad" thing because you're a "bad" person. You don't need to feel guilty about not being in control all the time, so there's no need to hide food. Try saving your guilt for when you do something bad to someone else. We're all here to learn, and all of us has something we need to work on. None of us are perfect (thank heaven or whatever).

Your kids may be old enough to talk to about your problems, and if your oldest is old enough to go to parties, he may also be old enough to help you. You can start by sitting down with your oldest and saying, "I need you to help me". You can explain that you feel you have a problem. Children love to help. For instance, when you buy the crisps, you can tell your son that you got the crisps for a specific purpose, and you can ask him to help you stay away from them by checking to see that they're still there the next day. The sooner your children learn that it takes effort, even from adults, to achieve a goal, the better for them.

You can keep a log of your progress and share it with your children. Set small goals for yourself (for instance going a whole week without eating the crisps after your kids go to bed, or going a whole week without eating after a certain time at night - and be honest!). When you've reached your goal, give yourself and your children a special reward (nonfood). Raise your child's allowance just for helping you (whether you achieve your goal or not). In addition to raising their self-esteem, watching their mother grow is a wonderful educational opportunity for your children. Children learn most by example, so they will learn that they also have a responsibility for their own growth. If you fail to reach a goal, let them see you keep trying. If you keep failing at the same goal, set a smaller goal or another goal.

My son was only 6 years old when I quit a ten - year smoking habit, and I couldn't have done it without his help. I'm not suggesting you try this (this strategy is probably more suitable for quitting smoking than for overeating), but I told my son that if he saw me smoking, he could go crazy and throw stuff and break stuff and yell and scream and do anything he wanted until I put down the cigarette. I couldn't smoke at work, and he was always with me after work. Well, one time he took me up on it, and I never had a cigarette again (until 9 years later, but that's another story). He knew that he'd helped me, and it made him feel really important. AND knowing how hard it was to quit, he never picked up a cigarette (He's 36 now).

I do what Jen Rose does. I go and brush my teeth when I know I've had enough to eat. I find it also helps to have something to do with my hands after I eat, even if it's just a crossword puzzle. When I know I've had enough to eat, I make myself think about the next thing I'm going to do and begin to focus on that instead of food.

You mentioned yoga. For gaining more control over your actions, there is nothing like a regular yoga practice (IMO). That's actually what yoga is all about. Beginning with hatha yoga (control over the body) and progressing to pranayama (breath control), and then to the stages of meditation (control over the mind), yoga is about self control. Couldn't hurt.

Last but not least, you might consider that it may not always be your fault when you overeat. IMO it sometimes happens that you're not getting enough of what you need of some nutrient, and when your body just can't take it anymore, it sets you off into a binge to make up for what it's been lacking. IMO that's one reason so many SAD eaters are overweight. They fill themselves with empty calories and are always hungry because they're not getting enough nutrition with their "food". You might check www.nutritiondata.com to see if you're getting at least 50% DV for each of the essential nutrients over say a period of a week.

Best wishes and good luck, -Ally



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/2006 09:33PM by Ally.

Bryan, that blows my mind. I find I can't eat more than one banana, unless I use a blender (and I probably can't eat more than 4 when I do that..)

If I ate 8 bananas in one sitting, I'd be a space case. Not everyone can eat that much sugar in one sitting. We all have different metabolisms.

another thing i've tried...

i tell myself to curb snacking at night before i go to bed and to curb those midnight cravings for something sweet/fatty, i tell myself (just for now as i'm still transitioning to raw) to eat whatever i want up until 730pm or so. after that, i brush my teeth and if i get "hungry", drink water.

a good snack that i love is cut up slices of banana and almond butter, it's really filling! you could also put a little maca powder on it too. this would also taste good as a smoothie!

THanks for your long message Ally. IN fact, when I mentioned hiding the crisps I meant hiding them from my children, not hiding them from me, and not hiding them so that I could eat them. That's why I found it ironic that I ended up eating them. I did secretly eat chocolate etc in the past though before going raw, and yes, I can see it's a problem. I don't really want to involve my son in stopping me though, I think this is something I have to deal with.

I do try to hide the little chocolate etc that may be in our house (I try not to buy it at all) from my children. Some would say they need to learn self control, but to me the whole supermarket/consumerism stuff is very carefully designed to prey, particularly on little children who are enticed by the bright glittery packaging.

Must stop,
/dawn

Dear Dawn,

Sorry to have jumped to conclusions about hiding the food. I'm sympathetic to your binge thing because I was a binge eater too, and maybe I still would be if I were eating cooked food, especially grains. I find that as long as I stay raw, I have it pretty much under control. Like Bryan, I can eat a lot of fruit, especially in the morning, and not really feel like I've eaten too much, though everyone's different.

The point is though that it could be that the more raw you go, the less the binging. That's definitely what happened to me.

Best wishes, -Ally