Trigger Foods

What are trigger foods?  In short they are addictive foods that affect us both mentally and physically.  Usually they set off a pattern of bad behavior such as binge eating.  Have you ever known someone who can easily polish off a bag of candy or chips with out realizing how much they are eating until its gone?  I know I do, and being honest I've done it before many times.  That's what made me do some research, I needed to know that this was a real thing and that there are ways to avoid this cycle. 

The first thing you need to do is become aware of what you are eating.  If you find that you have cravings for certain foods, or that you binge on something you need to make a note of it.  After awhile you will notice a pattern.  For example, you know 1 or 2 french fries won't blow your diet so you decide to eat 1 just to "enjoy the taste" next thing you know a whole plate of fries is gone.  French Fries might be a trigger food for you and you should probably avoid them while following a meal plan.

Things to remember are, most trigger foods are high in fats or sugars or even both.  These chemicals set off a reaction in the brain that actually makes you crave more.  I've never met a person who binge eats celery sticks :)


To help you get started I'll share some common trigger foods.  Chocolate, cheese, ice cream, cookies, pretzels, crackers, icing, alcohol, candy, bacon, cereal, bread. 

Once you can determine your trigger foods, I would suggest removing them from your house.  If that's not possible because of other people in your house, put them all in the same cabinet or drawer and set that drawer off limits.  You should replace those trigger foods with healthy options like fruits and veggies.  Remind yourself often that removing these foods from your diet is a good thing and not punishment.  It's important to maintain a positive relationship with food even when we are struggling.  We need food to survive and to nourish our bodies to be be the best possible version of ourselves.

Hope this helps.  As always feel free to drop me a line and let me know if this post helped you, or if you have any questions :)



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