Whole Foods Market Holds Seminar To Shed Light On Emotional Eating

The holidays are here, and this joyous time of year brings office parties, family gatherings, cocktail parties and seemingly endless opportunities to overindulge. 

(WFM) healthy eating specialist, Tim Williams, and the store's own holistic health coach, Don Deaner,  united last week to offer an innovative and thought-provoking program  that detailed key strategies for pinpointing and curtailing self-destructive eating and lifestyle habits.

We've all heard the term "comfort food" all too often greasy meats, salty chips and processed sweets are the go to fix, habitually gorged on for solace in times of distress or even boredom.  This results in causing the emotional eater to feel better for the moment, but invariably in a vicious cycle, worse in the long run.  Junk food becomes a diversion from ever getting to the root of the true nature of the emptiness felt.

A man from Rocky Point who asked to only be referred to as Joe, participated in the program to learn more about how to control his tendency to binge when feeling unhinged.

"I have a big appetite," he said. "I can indulge, even overindulge, when I've been pushed to the limit.  I can have a tendency, because it's easier to do that than going to the gym and punching a bag for an hour."

Deaner has a degree in psychology from Columbia University, and went to the renowned Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City.  He teaches adult education, and lectures in places such as schools and libraries; and is also a shift leader at WFM. 

"When I do courses and lectures I typically charge, but I wanted to give back to people," said Deaner of the free seminar.  "There's a lot of knowledge here.  It's so diverse with our team members.  Any health concern or dietary concern you have someone here can help."

Deaner believes that up to 90 percent of people have issues with emotional eating to varying degrees. He did a research paper on emotional eating in which his findings suggest that in men anger is the driving factor in the dysfunctional behavior, while for women it's anxiety and depression.

He practices a holistic approach to health that incorporates all aspects of a person:  body, mind and spirit in harmony with nature and their natural rhythms. 

"This time of year," said Deaner, "We have a tendency to slow down:  Vegetation dies, animals migrate and hibernate and trees lose their leaves ... People, especially Americans, have a tendency to go, go, go, like they do in summertime; it kind of goes against the grain of the season."

Deaner proposes a radical departure from the way most people approach their notoriously futile New Year's resolutions, which often involve a new diet and exercise routine.  He suggests waiting until the first day of spring before attempting to turn over a new leaf.  He warned those who push themselves too hard in the dead of winter, "You're fighting nature, and you're not going to win."

Stress, Deaner said, in all aspects of your life such as career, relationships , finance and even driving in traffic can cause us to overeat.  He outlined the four main pillars of health which must not be neglected:  A career you're passionate about, good relationships, following a spiritual path that resonates with you and regular physical activity that you enjoy. 

"We're all spiritual creatures even if we don't believe in any religion," said Deaner.  He shared that he nourishes his spirit by communing with nature, while others are drawn to traditional religion or new age spirituality. 

He explained that psychologically people resort to food because they're filling up a void in a very socially acceptable way, as opposed to excessive drinking or taking illegal substances.

Williams underscored the necessity of being mindful of what we are consuming and putting into our bodies.

"When people are eating on the run, eating standing up, or when working while concentrating on the computer or phone call, they're not concentrating on their food, not chewing properly," he said. "Just anything will do.

"Junk food is less appealing if you've just eaten a really nice meal; when you skip meals you send your body into a panic. Only in Western society have we discounted our gut as a sensory organ.  It's more evolved than the brain because it has not yet developed the ability to doubt itself.  It's a very important thing to treat that well."

Williams stressed that if you're alone when the urge to binge strikes go out and be with others even if it's just a trip to the library or taking a walk.  He also cited fatigue as fueling cravings, so it's important to get adequate sleep.  

"It woke up things in me," said Joe, who listened intently. "It clued me in to how we're outsourcing everything — with fast food we're outsourcing our health.  You can't delegate your health to anyone.  Health starts with eating right, sleeping right and breathing right.  You've got to be centered and want the right things.  If you outsource a big aspect, eating food, you're probably on a bad foundation."