Toxic Hunger Creates Food Addictions

If you enjoyed my blog posts regarding food addictions and how dieting doesn't work, you'll also enjoy the below ten minute video clip featuring Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Dr. Fuhrman discusses in detail why eating less and exercising more doesn't work. Most people try dieting, only to fail after a few weeks. After several attempts and numerous weight loss strategies, many people feel hopeless and give up.

The key to successful and permanent weight loss, Dr. Fuhrman says, is to eat the correct foods that contain the most micronutrients. He assures us that our food addictions and desire to overeat aren't related to our lack of willpower, but to our body giving us the wrong signals. These signals are constantly telling us to eat, because we haven't fulfilled our micronutrient needs.

Dr. Fuhrman explains in detail the two phases involved in digestion, the anabolic and catabolic phase. The anabolic phase is the process of eating and storing food for energy needs. The catabolic phase uses the food that we have digested and stored from the anabolic phase. Our body repairs, and detoxifies during this catabolic phase. What is not widely known, is that symptoms that often resemble hypoglycemia, such as shaking, light-headedness, headaches, nervousness, fatigue, confusion and anxiety are the symptoms of what Dr. Fuhrman calls "toxic hunger." Toxic hunger is felt when the body begins the catabolic phase of detoxing and repairing.  

The typical American diet not only contains many toxic substances, free radical toxins are produced as a result from being deficient in micronutrients. As we enter into the catabolic phase, the body begins to mobilize and circulate these toxins, in an attempt to remove them. These unpleasant symptoms are mistaken for hunger, so we eat to feel better. Eating alleviates the symptoms as it stops the catabolic detoxing and repair phase. This can easily be seen in those that drink coffee every day. When coffee is stopped, withdrawal symptoms such as headaches and feeling ill are experienced.

The symptoms mentioned above do not represent the signs of true hunger, but food addictions, created by a rich, nutrient-deficient, toxic diet. Addictions are characterized by feeling good when taking in an addictive substance. When the substance is removed, feeling ill will follow. Therefore, consuming the substance once again eliminates the ill feelings.  

Dr. Fuhrman concludes by discussing what true hunger feels like, and how a nutrient-dense diet suppresses our appetites and removes food addictions by meeting our micronutrient needs. This is an excellent video. You will be encouraged and equipped to resolve life-long weight issues, while at the same time improving your health and longevity.