Kay Sheppard has become famed internationally for her ground-breaking knowledge of food addiction, from the symptoms to the solutions. A certified eating disorders specialist, Kay is a mental health counselor whose best-selling books include "Food Addiction: The Body Knows" and "From the First Bite: A Complete Guide to Recovery from Food Addiction." And what she offers is hope: A path to recovery through understanding your food addiction and then following a very carefully designed food plan provided in her book. "Because food addicts have lost control over the amount eaten, it is important to put boundaries on the volume of food consumed in recovery. A successful, scientifically sound food plan includes three weighed and measured meals plus a metabolic adjustment before bed. The metabolic adjustment provides the right amount of carbohydrate to feed the sleeping brain for 8 hours," explains Kay. That food plan is included in "Food Addiction: The Body Knows."
How do you know if you're a food addict? Many of us have joked that we're "addicted" to a food, such as chocolate. But for food addicts, it's no joke. "Refined food addiction involves the compulsive pursuit of a mood change by engaging repeatedly in episodes of binge eating despite adverse consequences," explains Kay. "The brain and body of a food addict react differently to addictive foods due to inherited predisposition to the disease of addiction. The term food addiction implies there is a biogentic-- physiological, biochemical--condition of the body that creates craving for refined foods: carbohydrates, animal fats and salt."
Kay compares a food addict's craving to an alcoholic's yen for alcohol. "The need to abstain from the addictive substances is common to both alcoholics and food addicts." However, food addiction also impacts your weight in sometimes dramatic way, and food addicts may become obsessed with their weight, "loss of control over the amount eaten and continued vain attempts to control eating by reducing frequency or amount, by changing substances or attempting periods of purging, dieting or fasting," adds Kay.
In addition to reading her books about food addiction and recovery including the recovery food plan in "Food Addiction: The Body Knows" and "From the First Bite: A Complete Guide to Recovery from Food Addiction," you can get help from her Web site. "Anyone who is interested in recovering from food addiction can find the support of others in recovery on the loop and at meetings listed there. There are articles, including the food plan, that provide information as well. All of that is free. For professional help, I can be reached through the website for telephone consultations. We are very committed to carrying the message to the food addict who still suffers," says Kay. Visit her site for more details: http://www.kaysheppard.com
Comments